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Are You Buying the Product – or the Praise?

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 14:34:00 -0000

If by magic, only you could see it, would you still buy it?

This one question strips away our elaborate justifications and reveals the truth about why we buy things.

Much of what we buy (and do) is for others – more than we care to admit. We’re masterful at convincing ourselves otherwise, creating stories that protect our self-image as rational, independent thinkers.

But we’re not. Entire industries thrive on our willingness to pay massive premiums for status markers. A £20,000 Rolex instead of a £200 Seiko. A £4,000 Louis Vuitton bag instead of a £120 M&S. £30 Aesop hand soap instead of £3 alternatives. A £30,000 wedding instead of an equally beautiful, intimate ceremony.

We tell ourselves compelling stories: “It’s about the craftsmanship.” “I appreciate the heritage.” “This is an investment.” And sometimes those stories contain threads of truth.

But the biggest reason? External validation. Admiration. The rush when someone notices.

We’re social creatures wired for connection and recognition. Even the most fiercely independent among us will swoon when their luxury purchase gets even the smallest acknowledgment.

The irony is that we’re so desperate for acceptance or to be thought of as superior that we’ll pay a fortune for it – all whilst we skimp on our weekly food shop.

The next time you reach for your debit card, pause. Remove the imagined audience. Strip away the fantasy of who you’ll become. And ask yourself: “If no one else could see it, would I still want it?” Is this purchase an expression of who I truly am, or who I want others to think I am?

This isn’t to guilt yourself, but to free yourself. It’s more than a way of spending less money – it’s a way of acting in a way that aligns with who you truly are.

Because the things you’d buy when no one’s watching? Those are the things that actually matter to you.

Dwight Schrute Is My Life Coach

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:28:00 -0000

Sometimes the most profound wisdom comes from the unlikeliest sources. Case in point: the comedy show The Office (US) has given me two pieces of advice I rely on constantly.

Don’t be an idiot

Michael asks his protégée Dwight what the best piece of advice he ever gave him was.

“Don’t be an idiot” he replies without hesitation. “Changed my life”.

It’s played for laughs – highlighting the absurdity that Dwight never independently considered this himself.

Dwight continues: “Whenever I’m about to do something, I think ‘would an idiot do that?’ And if they would, I do not do that thing.”

It’s a beautifully simple mental model – and surprisingly effective.

I use it multiple times a week:

About to cross a road before the lights turn red while drunk? Would an idiot do this? Yes. So don’t do it.
Considering overtaking a slow car on a somewhat blind country lane? Would an idiot do this? Yes. So don’t do it.
Tempted to drink two Monster Energy drinks in one day? Would an idiot do this? Yes. So don’t do it.

While many mental models are complicated – requiring deep understanding of unconscious biases, psychology, and yourself – this one is exquisitely simple. It cuts through complexity and works in the heat of the moment.

“Would an idiot do this?” This single question has helped me avoid countless dangerous situations and poor decisions.

If I can’t scuba…

In another episode, a rumors spreads throughout the office that Creed has asthma. He’s worried. “If it gets out, they won’t let me scuba. If I can’t scuba, then what has this all been about? What am I working toward?”

Me and my girlfriend are currently looking to buy our first home. I’ll often say: “If I can’t scuba…” Meaning: if I can’t get a house with a bath and a garden, then what are we doing here? What’s the point?

Scuba diving is Creed’s guiding light for life. It’s his non-negotiable that makes all the nonsense tolerable and all his hard work worthwhile.

We all need our own version of scuba – our minimum viable product for living.

It can be anything you love that always sparks joy. An expensive iced coffee on a Saturday morning. Spending every evening with your child. A twice-yearly holiday to Malta. A car with 500+ BHP. Helping underprivileged children.

The specifics don’t matter. What matters is identifying what’s non-negotiable for your happiness. Without your “scuba,” life will feel more painful and purposeless.

Weeknotes – 1748 of 4175

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 16:25:00 -0000

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week. Here’s what I’ve been thinking, learning and writing.

🏡 Life Update

I’ve never had any interest in going to a traditional English afternoon tea. Eating tiny bites with a big price? No thanks.

But my Mum loves them. So off we went for Mother’s Day. And to the Savoy Hotel too (the thinking mans Ritz). It was all perfectly nice, and less stuffy than I imagined. But it was eye-wateringly expensive for some mini sandwiches and cakes.

For six months or so I’ve been all-in on Notion when it comes to my work. I use it for meetings notes, a knowledge base, to-dos and as a calendar. It’s a powerful tool.

Before that I used Roam Research. But I got tired of having my to-dos and notes having to live separately – I needed tighter integration. So off to Notion I went.

But I’ve b experimenting with Logseq, which is essentially an open-source Roam clone. It’s gotten a lot better than when I used it several years ago. There’s little reason you’d pay for Roam over the free Logseq.

However, it still has most of the same limitations that Roam had. And it is also rather buggy and slow. So it’s not dethroning Notion.

Deleted my 23andMe data after they went bankrupt.

🔗 Short Links

“Is It Time for Old School?” Michael Wade suggesting bringing back classical music knowledge, memorising poetry, joining community service organisations, reading more books, and more.

There’s a whiff of “old man shouts at cloud”, but there’s still food for thought in this list.

Watch live TV from around the world at tv.garden.

📺 TV

This Time with Alan Partridge

I’m a big Alan Partridge fan. I’m Alan Partridge is one of my top five favourite comedy shows ever. I’ve watched it so much that I actually haven’t watched it for a few years, just to give myself a break.

The good thing about Partridge is that it’s still ongoing. Unlike a Blackadder, which was released and done with, there’s been plenty of Partridge shows, specials, podcasts and books.

One of the more recent ones is This Time with Alan Partridge. Upon release I thought it was decent, but nothing special. But it’s grown on me over time and I really like it now.

I watched it in the background whilst playing Age of Empires II, and had a lovely time. I’m a particular fan of the segment where he interviews an Irish farmer who looks like him. Find out where to stream it.

Murder in Successville

Each week a celebrity is dropped into a improvised murder mystery scenario. All the actors know the script, the celebrity doesn’t.

I’d actually seen the American spin-off – Murderville – and enjoyed it. So it was good to stumble upon the British original. It’s really great. A silly, fun show that you can’t help but like. Find out where to stream it.

🎵 Music

Note: most links are to Spotify.

David Gray

I saw David Gray at the Royal Albert Hall. I’d never actually listened to a lot of his work. His masterpiece from 1998 – White Ladder – has plenty of songs I love, but I never looked beyond that. So I ventured across his discography ahead of the show.

His other work isn’t quite in the league of that 1998 classic, but I was really impressed by Flesh in particular. And I still have plenty more to listen to.

If you haven’t listened to White Ladder, you must. The song “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” has been on repeat ever since the show.

Oh yes, the show. It was very good. Many of the musicians I listen to were at their peak in the 60s/70s, so are now old men. So I have to arrive to their shows with fairly low expectations. And even then I’m sometimes disappointed. So I’m not used to a proper energetic show by someone still in their relative youth. He still sounds great and he put on a wonderful show. And it’s always good to visit the Royal Albert Hall.

Linda Ronstadt

Linda Ronstadt (1972)

A slight step back, she hasn’t built from “Silk Purse (1970)”. There’s some solid stuff here, it’s just a bit all over the place. 5/10

Best tracks:

“I Won’t Be Hangin’ Around”: the best song on the album. She’s at her best when she really stretches that voice.
“Birds”: a nice Neil Young cover.
“Rescue Me”: out of nowhere this upbeat R&B number. It’s solid.

Silk Purse (1970)

She’s getting better. This is still mostly country. But some rocky elements are starting to seep in, and for the better. “Long Long Time” is the standout track here – it’s stunning. 6/10

Best tracks:

“Are My Thoughts With You?”: a pretty country ballad with a melancholic harmonica.
“Long Long Time”: I first heard this in S01E03 of The Last of Us. The song is a big part of the episode, and I was a bit disappointed by the song choice. So many songs, and they choose a mediocre one. I was wrong. Listening to it on the album it’s a beautiful song.
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”: a fun, pleasant cover.

Home Sown … Home Grown (1969)

A pleasant and mellow country-inspired album. Whilst not outstanding, I could see me myself putting this on again when I want something not too challenging. 5/10

Best tracks:

“Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad”
“The Only Mama That’ll Walk The Line”: a fun country number that reminds me a bit of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” by Nancy Sinatra

👨‍💻 Things I Wrote

This Post Is Only 80% Finished

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 07:15:00 -0000

I have a goal to write a more. Just a little bit, every day.

It’s part of my initiative to take advantage of the mornings more. I’m tired of spending 60–90 minutes upon waking just scrolling on my phone.

And whilst I’m not committed to posting something every day, I’m going to try to.

However, I struggle with getting a post over the line – getting it from 80% done, to 100% done and hitting ‘publish’.

I find the final details around things like sentence order and ensuring a post has a beginning and an ending really tough. And very slow going.

What often happens is that I get the draft 80% completed and plan to come back and finish it, but get distracted or lose the motivation. And if I do come back to it days, weeks, or months later, the momentum is gone. So it languishes in my drafts folder until I delete it six months later.

Also, as any writer will tell you, looking at old writing is painful. After just a month or two, you’ve often changed or improved enough as a writer that reading past writing is an exercise in cringe and pain. I’ve never published a draft that was more than a week old.

But I had a thought yesterday: why not publish and then do that final little bit of editing? The writing is still decent and readable – it has a serviceable skeleton. It just needs that final finessing.

And hey, if I publish it and don’t come back to ‘finish it’, at least I got it out the door.

So that’s my goal: be just as willing to click ‘publish’ as I am to click ’new draft’.

The Cultural Fade of Rick and Morty

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 18:41:00 -0000

In this weeks weeknotes I mentioned how Game of Thrones disappeared from cultural relevance. Now I’m noticing Rick and Morty followed a similar path.

During its early seasons, it dominated geek culture and the internet. Today? Almost nothing.

For me, the decline began with the McDonalds Szechuan sauce incident. The public suddenly saw the toxic side of the fanbase. Then came allegations of abuse and general creepiness against co-creator Justin Roiland. The magic somehow evaporated.

The quality seems to have dipped too. I’m watching season six – it’s acceptable but repetitive. Not as good as its original self.

Unlike Game of Thrones, which I still love despite its cultural abandonment, I’ve let Rick and Morty go. Once among my favorite shows, now I barely think about it, let alone watch it.

Weeknotes – 1747 of 4175

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 11:44:00 -0000

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week.

I’m still getting into the swing of writing these weeknotes, so I’ve missed the past two weeks. I’m realising that I shouldn’t wait until the end of the week to write it. I should just add to it each day.

Anyway, here’s what I’ve been thinking, learning and writing these part three weeks.

🏡 Life Update

My biggest highlight recently was getting to feed baby lambs at Herrings Green Activity Farm. Delightful. Aside from having some farm animals, it’s also a cracking owl sanctuary. My main takeaway is that eagles are scary and owls are spooky.

Like everyone else on the internet I’ve been using OpenAI’s new 4o Image Generation to convert photos into Studio Ghibli images.

This new image generator is a big, big leap forward. I am very scared of image/video AI.¹ There needs to be regulation or protection against it – and quickly. Of course, it’s not only very difficult to do (the horse has left the stable), but also just unlikely to happen.

There’s plenty of inventions that create a clear before and after in the history of the world. AI is one. It’s a printing press moment.

House purchase update. We didn’t get the cottage I fell in love with. Devastating :( Though oddly, I was less sad than I expected. Once I knew it was not possible I just accepted it. One day I will own a cottage. But by the looks of it, it won’t be this decade.

Me and my girlfriend stayed in a spa hotel. It’s an obvious thing to say, but it was relaxing. I’ve never done a spa weekend before, so wasn’t sure what to expect. But it was lovely. I like anywhere that has a sauna. On my final day I had two baths and spent time in the pool, jacuzzi, and sauna.

Went to see the Basement Yard podcast live. It was more for my girlfriend than me, but I had fun. Though quite a few members of the crowd were awful and shouted throughout.

But the for me, the highlight was Peter Serafinowicz sitting right behind me. Within seconds of hearing him talk I suspected it was him – he has a wonderful, velvety voice. The only thing that threw me off was his Liverpool accent. I didn’t realise he was from there, and I guess he tends to not use his original accent in most projects. He seemed like a very pleasant guy from what I could overhear.

🧠 Things I Learnt

The Karaites are an ancient Jewish religious sect “beyond the acceptable fringes of mainstream rabbinic Judaism, recognising only the Torah as Devine law.” They survived the holocaust by arguing they were not really Jewish at all.

💭 Short Thoughts and Notes

I really need to eat more tuna and cucumber sandwiches. I kind of feel that a sandwich for lunch is a defeat. The depressing, boring choice. But tuna and cucumber is divine. It’s Mother’s Day today and me and my sister are taking Mum to the Savoy Hotel for afternoon tea. I’m hoping those sandwiches won’t feel like defeat.

🎬 Films

The Book of Eli

I remember this being a very solid dystopian disaster film, with great action scenes and a stylish look.

Watching it again 15 years on, it’s actually rather crap.

Gary Oldman and Denzel Washington do their thing. But this is quite dull and uninspired. And I didn’t realise how bad Mila Kunis is in it.

I do still like the ending though. 38% (Stream it)

Taxi (2004)

This is objectively bad. But I have a soft spot for it. It’s fun, harmless and keeps you perfectly entertained for 90 minutes. 60% (Stream it)

📺 TV

Game of Thrones

One of my top five TV shows of all time, this is my fifth or sixth rewatch. The main difference this time around is that I was sober. When the show was being aired one of the highlights of my week was getting drunk and watching the latest episode. I have fond memories of it. And when the show finished it entered the pantheon of films/TV that I enjoyed watching drunk. But I don’t drink much these days, so this was a sober experience. But no less of a great one.

Sure, the last season is pretty naff (though better than I remembered). But Game of Thrones continues to be tremendous TV, with many exceptional characters and jaw dropping moments.

The world hasn’t forgotten or forgiven the awful ending and it feels like the show has almost disappeared from the cultural map. It just kind of forgot that it was one of the most dominant forces in TV for many years. Each and every episode was an event, with people going to bars to watch episodes as a group (link contains major spoilers). But I haven’t forgotten. It’s still exceptional. If you’ve never seen it before or haven’t rewatched for a long time, I encourage you to give it a go. (Stream it)

A Thousand Blows

A show about crime and bareknuckle boxing set in 1880s London should be right up my street. But this felt a bit Disneyified and I just couldn’t get into it. The world or characters just didn’t feel real or interesting. (Stream it)

🎵 Music

Worked my way through the first few albums of Mac DeMarco, for the first time. A tad disappointed. It seems like his best songs were the couple that I was already aware of and had listened to.

But of course all my fears go out the window if I can create cute Studio Ghibli images. ↩︎

Weeknotes – 1744 of 4175

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week. My week was pretty quiet (as the short weeknotes will reflect).

🏡 Life Update

The theme of this week continues to be me and my girlfriend looking to buy our first home. We’re having to pull out of the one we’ve put an offer accepted for¹. Our cirumstances have changed and we have fallen in love with a gorgeous cottage.

All my life I’ve wanted to life in a cottage, so the chance to fulfill that dream is too good to miss. It is gorgeous and has everything you want from a cottage: wooden beams, cubby holes, slightly quirky (but large) layout, and a log burner We’ve put in an offer today. Let’s hope they accept.

Oh also, my Honda Civic turned 20 years old this week.

💭 Short Thoughts and Notes

Because I’m going to be a home owner at some point in the next few months I’ve gotten serious about budgeting again.

Many years ago I used YNAB, which I still like. But it’s $15 a month. So I’ve looked elsewhere. Actual is a good one. But I decided to go really geeky and am using hledger. Will I find it too tiresome and ‘manual’? Eventually. But right now it’s mostly fun.

Has a main character on a TV show ever actually died by drowning? It’s always just a cliffhanger.

I use Arq to backup files on my MacBook Pro. But it can feel a bit ‘heavy’ and slow at times. So I looked for other options for my Mac mini and I went with restic.

It uses the CLI – unlike Arq with its GUI.

But to be honest, the GUI of Arq doesn’t do the main thing I want anyway: quickly preview different versions of a file to work out which is the one that I want to restore.² So it doesn’t make too much of difference that restic lacks a GUI.

I’m impressed by restic thus far. It’s fast, and uses a tiny amount of CPU.

I’m using it to backup my most important files to AWS S3 – with backups being sent to S3 Glacier after a month, so save money.

And my slightly less important media files are backed up to Scaleway Glacier, which only costs £1.66 per TB a month.

And you know what they say, your backups aren’t truly backups until you’ve confirmed you can actually restore data from them.

Well I had to this morning. I made a mistake when doing a git rebase and lost some files. So I ran the restic command and restored the data in seconds. I’m impressed.

Food labelling around how the animals were treated before they were murdered really needs to be changed.

Maybe I’m just thick, but it’s all so vague and I’m not sure exactly what they mean. “Organic” and “Higher Welfare” are meaningless to me. At least “Free to Roam” is somewhat descriptive.

But I think most of the UK public is in a similar boat to me.

I went to a pub and at one point had three dogs in my eyeline. That should be a legal requirement for all pubs.

Something I like about 4K BluRays is that old films are being ‘rereleased’ on them.

It’s a great way to discover films you might not have seen before.

In May, a film I very much have seen before arrives on BluRay: A Knight’s Tale. It’s a film I love.

Looking forward to watching it on 4K.

🔗 Short Links

“21 Things I Wish I Knew in My Twenties”

🍽️ Food

Usually when I buy a whole chicken I use it for a roast dinner. But this week we mixed it up a used it to make a Nandosesque chicken dish with chips and coleslaw. It was a success. I love a roast, so it was a bit of a risk potentially ‘wasting’ that chicken making something else.

It was a extra-large chicken. So the next day we used the leftovers to make chicken wraps, which were delightful.

🎵 Music

I listened to a bit of Jackson Browne. His music is gorgeous. His songs have a melancholic beauty that hits the same part of my brain as Van Morrison. He’s also a rare 1960/70’s musician in that had some very good albums outside of those two decades. With songs like Hold Out, Call It a Loan, On The Day, In the Shape of a Heart, Sky Blue and Black.

I saw someone rate Low as David Bowie’s best album. Not having heard it for a while, I gave it a listen. I don’t know what the best Bowie album is. But it’s Low.

Which isn’t ideal at all. And I feel bad for the owners. But… it was their dead parents house, so they’re just selling it to get their inheritence – I’m not stopping them from moving house. And they have been bloody slow at responding to our questions. ↩︎
That’s the main thing I miss about Dropbox. ↩︎

Weeknotes – 1743 of 4175

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week. Here’s what I’ve been thinking, learning and writing.

🧠 Things I Learnt

I read mostly about Robert Cotton in The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscripts Club this week.

He was a Member of Parliament, but he’s mostly remembered for his high-quality manuscript¹ collection. Though sadly a lot of his books were lost or damaged in a fire in 1731.

I thought it interesting how genealogy and ancestry determined personal status in Tudor and Stuart England.

So much so, that when the Scottish James I became King of England, many courtiers and scholars adjusted their family narratives to fit James’s Scottish interests.

Cotton was no different. He emphasised and possibly reinterpreted parts of his lineage to show stronger Scottish ancestry – ignoring certain ancestors and highlighting others.

He even inserted “Bruce” as his middle name, associating himself with Robert the Bruce.

💭 Short Thoughts and Notes

The Qatar ExxonMobil Open: a tennis tournament brought to you by fossil fuels and sportswashing.
Tom Hardy hasn’t been in a good film for years. When I saw him pop up in a trailer I used to be like “can’t wait to check this out”. Now when I see him I think “this is going to be terrible”.
Nothing comes close to the anger of biting your tongue. Not yanking on your headphone wire. Not catching your pocket on a door handle. NOTHING.
Inspired and enlightened by this article, I’ve put Mastodon ‘comments’ onto this blog. Feel free to add your thoughts at the bottom of the page 👇
Until now I’ve never really thought it about how depressing cafes in museums, art galleries and other such buildings are. In my mind these cafes should be lovely. Cosy, warming and comfortable. A place to discuss the art just seen. Instead they’re nearly always like school cafeterias. The food trays and chairs are made out of the same plain, thin wood. The tables are arranged to get the largest number of people inside. And the lighting is bright and white. And there’s always a queue to order. I think there’s a reason why I avoid them like the plague.
One day you start blogging and before you know it your blog is ancient. I’m Left Handed, my blog largely about technology is now 15 years old.

🔗 Short Links

“Broken Legs and Ankles Heal Better If You Walk on Them within Weeks” – Scientific American
“Advice for a friend who wants to start a blog” – Henrik Karlsson

🍽️ Food

I was amazed to see these strange white strawberries in M&S. Apparently they have a “pineapple aroma and a hint of vanilla.” So I bit into it with anticipation (it’s not every day you try a new fruit). And… it tasted just like a normal strawberry. Disappointing.

They might be called something different where you are, like pineberry. But either way, don’t buy them. They’re not worth the extra money.

🎵 Music

New song of the week is Be Not So Fearful by Bill Fay (via Ran Prieur). I Hear You Calling and The Healing Day is also good.

👨‍💻 Things I Wrote

Dr Pepper

I have an extremely strong memory of the first time I tried Dr Pepper.

Dawn broke at the scout campsite.

With the smell of smoke still softly rising from last nights fires, me and my best friend Sam took a walk.

The ground was endlessly dew-covered and we were the only humans awake.

Amid the dank trees there was a beacon glowing. A vending machine.

I chose a curiously named drink I’d heard of but never tasted: Dr Pepper.

Looking out over the campsite, I took a sip. It was magic. It tasted unlike anything I’d ever had.

And standing there with Sam, watching mist hover above the grass and curl around the trees, the moment was perfect.

It was a ‘high’ I’ve tried to chase ever since. But every time I camped or had a Dr Pepper it was so… ordinary. It wasn’t the same as that day when I was a boy.

Until yesterday.

I tried the new Dr Pepper ‘Cherry Crush’.

And when I took a sip I was transported back to that morning. This was it. This was what I’d tasted.

I don’t even know if I actually had the cherry flavoured one that fateful morning. But either way, the cherry one of 2025 tastes the same as that Dr Pepper did all those years ago. And I’m going to buy a million of them.

It’s usually foolish trying to chase nostalgia. But just sometimes, it pays off.

You Don’t Need More Content – You Need Better Attention

Reading Henrik Karlsson ° got me thinking about the importance of high quality ‘inputs’.

Every day, we wade through dozens of blog posts, when our reading list is full. We browse book reviews, despite having shelves of unread greatness. We scan Rotten Tomatoes, while our watchlist already contains more masterpieces than we could watch in years.

Consuming excellence isn’t a search problem. It’s a focus problem. I know which blogs have a low ‘hit’ rate. I know early on when a book isn’t good. I know I rarely gain anything from visiting a news site.

So don’t be sentimental. Be ruthless. And be aware of how short your day/week/year/life is. How many books will you read in a lifetime? Less than you think. Stop reading that average book your friend recommended and loved. Stop following that blog that isn’t interesting, just because they’re a sweet person. Abandon that dull TV show at episode three, not episode ten.

But cutting out the mediocre isn’t enough. You not only have to consume great content, you have to engage it. Wrestle with the ideas. Connect them to your experience. Talk and write about them. Only then can they be digested and become part of your thinking.

I catch myself failing at this constantly. Loosely reading ten mediocre but easy articles instead of engaging with the exceptional one. Despite knowing that one hour deeply processing a great article yields more value than ten hours of shallow reading.

So let’s not forget: excellence isn’t hidden. The challenge isn’t finding it – it’s choosing to engage with it.

Process more, consume less.

The Wistfulness of Your 30s

Wistfulness [noun]: a feeling of sadness because you are thinking about something that is impossible or in the past.

@easemyvibes on Threads:

No one prepares you for the grief you feel in your 30s. Time suddenly feels like it sped up — you’re grieving the life you thought you’d have by now, you’re seeing your parents get older, you and your loved ones are all experiencing loss in some capacity, you’re outgrowing relationships, and you’re constantly thinking of your own mortality; wanting to live life to the fullest, but “the fullest” costs money so you’re stuck working to afford a life you have no time to live.

As a 33-year-old, I fully understand where she’s coming from.

A general melancholy often surrounds me. My life isn’t bad at all, objectively speaking. But I find myself caught between a nostalgic past and a adulthood that feels different from what I imagined.

Looking at childhood photos makes me sad. I’ve fallen into watching endless nostalgia videos on social media showcasing the toys, TV shows, and life of my childhood. It creates an ache in my gut, but I can’t resist. It’s like I’m living vicariously through my past self.

It feels like just a few years ago I turned 22. Now I’m 33.

Despite recognising this fleeting nature of time, I don’t make the effort to live more. I don’t take up new hobbies, travel, or focus on my health. Instead, I continue in the same old patterns. And though I know I’ll regret this when I turn 50 (which will come around sooner than I think), I can’t seem to break the cycle.

I’ve read that many people report their 30s as their happiest decade. I hope that proves true. Despite the melancholic tone of this post, I don’t consider myself badly off. I’m not chronically depressed, financially struggling, or in poor health.

But I just feel off. The sun doesn’t shine as brightly as it once did. Few things truly excite me anymore. Life simply feels plain. I’ve been waiting for years for it to feel like it used to. But it hasn’t. And I don’t think it will.

Heroism in the Age of Dishwashers

I saw a TikTok where a wife said that when her husband claimed he’d do anything for her, he meant fighting off bears and going into battle. Not putting the washing away.

There’s a lesson about life and love in that quip. When we’re young, we imagine life’s defining moments as grand and cinematic – standing firm against formidable foes and making dramatic declarations of love. What we don’t realise is that most of life’s biggest battles will be boring and monotonous. Often that’s precisely why they’re challenging.

It’s not about dramatic gestures or heroic moments. It’s about turning up day-in, day-out, to do something mundane that you don’t particularly enjoy. Loading the dishwasher for the thousandth time. Having the same conversation with your partner about household chores. Plodding through another week at work.

Sometimes the challenge isn’t about fighting at all, but about resisting the urge to fight. It’s holding your tongue when you could lash out. It’s choosing the difficult conversation over the slammed door.² It’s declining the dessert when your body is screaming for a sweet treat. Life is won or lost in the quiet moments nobody applauds you for. Battles that are often internal.

It’s not whether you’d leap in front of a bus to save your loved one . It’s whether you’ll stand in the rain for ages outside the train station because your girlfriend was delayed due to chatting – without making them feel guilty about it. The real test of love is whether you’ll do that monotonous job without being asked and without expecting a pat on the back.

Glory isn’t on the imagined battlefields, but in the quiet dignity of showing up for the small things, again and again and again.

20 years of playing Age of Empires II (elliot.my)

I’ve been playing a lot of Age of Empires II over the past few weeks.

First released in 1999, I was first introduced to it by watching my Uncle play it probably some time in 2003. And I’ve been playing it on and off ever since. Over 20 years!

As a game it has had remarkable staying power. And it’s a prime example of the benefit of single player games³. Most of the games I play and have played are multiplayer. And even if I wanted to still play them, I can’t because the servers were turned off long ago. But here Age of Empires is, still working, and still being played. I love it.

In book collecting, a ‘manuscript’ typically refers to a handwritten or unpublished work, while a ‘book’ refers to a printed and bound work produced mechanically. ↩︎
I struggle a lot with this one. ↩︎
It does have multiplayer as well though. ↩︎

Heroism in the Age of Dishwashers

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:11:47 -0000

I saw a TikTok where a wife said that when her husband claimed he’d do anything for her, he meant fighting off bears and going into battle. Not putting the washing away.

There’s a lesson about life and love in that quip. When we’re young, we imagine life’s defining moments as grand and cinematic – standing firm against formidable foes and making dramatic declarations of love. What we don’t realise is that most of life’s biggest battles will be boring and monotonous. Often that’s precisely why they’re challenging.

It’s not about dramatic gestures or heroic moments. It’s about turning up day-in, day-out, to do something mundane that you don’t particularly enjoy. Loading the dishwasher for the thousandth time. Having the same conversation with your partner about household chores. Plodding through another week at work.

Sometimes the challenge isn’t about fighting at all, but about resisting the urge to fight. It’s holding your tongue when you could lash out. It’s choosing the difficult conversation over the slammed door.¹ It’s declining the dessert when your body is screaming for a sweet treat. Life is won or lost in the quiet moments nobody applauds you for. Battles that are often internal.

It’s not whether you’d leap in front of a bus to save your loved one . It’s whether you’ll stand in the rain for ages outside the train station because your girlfriend was delayed due to chatting – without making them feel guilty about it. The real test of love is whether you’ll do that monotonous job without being asked and without expecting a pat on the back.

Glory isn’t on the imagined battlefields, but in the quiet dignity of showing up for the small things, again and again and again.

I struggle a lot with this one. ↩︎

The Wistfulness of Your 30s

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:40:00 -0000

Wistfulness [noun]: a feeling of sadness because you are thinking about something that is impossible or in the past.

@easemyvibes on Threads:

No one prepares you for the grief you feel in your 30s. Time suddenly feels like it sped up — you’re grieving the life you thought you’d have by now, you’re seeing your parents get older, you and your loved ones are all experiencing loss in some capacity, you’re outgrowing relationships, and you’re constantly thinking of your own mortality; wanting to live life to the fullest, but “the fullest” costs money so you’re stuck working to afford a life you have no time to live.

As a 33-year-old, I fully understand where she’s coming from.

A general melancholy often surrounds me. My life isn’t bad at all, objectively speaking. But I find myself caught between a nostalgic past and a adulthood that feels different from what I imagined.

Looking at childhood photos makes me sad. I’ve fallen into watching endless nostalgia videos on social media showcasing the toys, TV shows, and life of my childhood. It creates an ache in my gut, but I can’t resist. It’s like I’m living vicariously through my past self.

It feels like just a few years ago I turned 22. Now I’m 33.

Despite recognising this fleeting nature of time, I don’t make the effort to live more. I don’t take up new hobbies, travel, or focus on my health. Instead, I continue in the same old patterns. And though I know I’ll regret this when I turn 50 (which will come around sooner than I think), I can’t seem to break the cycle.

I’ve read that many people report their 30s as their happiest decade. I hope that proves true. Despite the melancholic tone of this post, I don’t consider myself badly off. I’m not chronically depressed, financially struggling, or in poor health.

But I just feel off. The sun doesn’t shine as brightly as it once did. Few things truly excite me anymore. Life simply feels plain. I’ve been waiting for years for it to feel like it used to. But it hasn’t. And I don’t think it will.

You Don't Need More Content – You Need Better Attention

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 07:40:12 -0000

Reading Henrik Karlsson ° got me thinking about the importance of high quality ‘inputs’.

Every day, we wade through dozens of blog posts, when our reading list is full. We browse book reviews, despite having shelves of unread greatness. We scan Rotten Tomatoes, while our watchlist already contains more masterpieces than we could watch in years.

Consuming excellence isn’t a search problem. It’s a focus problem. I know which blogs have a low ‘hit’ rate. I know early on when a book isn’t good. I know I rarely gain anything from visiting a news site.

So don’t be sentimental. Be ruthless. And be aware of how short your day/week/year/life is. How many books will you read in a lifetime? Less than you think. Stop reading that average book your friend recommended and loved. Stop following that blog that isn’t interesting, just because they’re a sweet person. Abandon that dull TV show at episode three, not episode ten.

But cutting out the mediocre isn’t enough. You not only have to consume great content, you have to engage it. Wrestle with the ideas. Connect them to your experience. Talk and write about them. Only then can they be digested and become part of your thinking.

I catch myself failing at this constantly. Loosely reading ten mediocre but easy articles instead of engaging with the exceptional one. Despite knowing that one hour deeply processing a great article yields more value than ten hours of shallow reading.

So let’s not forget: excellence isn’t hidden. The challenge isn’t finding it – it’s choosing to engage with it.

Process more, consume less.

Dr Pepper

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:58 -0000

I have an extremely strong memory of the first time I tried Dr Pepper.

Dawn broke at the scout campsite.

With the smell of smoke still softly rising from last nights fires, me and my best friend Sam took a walk.

The ground was endlessly dew-covered and we were the only humans awake.

Amid the dank trees there was a beacon glowing. A vending machine.

I chose a curiously named drink I’d heard of but never tasted: Dr Pepper.

Looking out over the campsite, I took a sip. It was magic. It tasted unlike anything I’d ever had.

And standing there with Sam, watching mist hover above the grass and curl around the trees, the moment was perfect.

It was a ‘high’ I’ve tried to chase ever since. But every time I camped or had a Dr Pepper it was so… ordinary. It wasn’t the same as that day when I was a boy.

Until yesterday.

I tried the new Dr Pepper ‘Cherry Crush’.

And when I took a sip I was transported back to that morning. This was it. This was what I’d tasted.

I don’t even know if I actually had the cherry flavoured one that fateful morning. But either way, the cherry one of 2025 tastes the same as that Dr Pepper did all those years ago. And I’m going to buy a million of them.

It’s usually foolish trying to chase nostalgia. But just sometimes, it pays off.

Weeknotes (1742/4175)

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:42:00 -0000

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week. Here’s what I’ve been thinking, learning, writing and photographing.

🏡 Life Update

The theme of the week is that me and my girlfriend have had an offer on a house accepted. But she’s now seen another one that she likes more. I prefer the first one, she prefers the second. So we need to work out what we’re going to do. My plan: let the gods decide. If we put an offer on house two and it’s accepted, then we’ll go for it.

💭 Short Thoughts and Notes

If a video starts with a dude wearing a backwards baseball cap, nothing interesting or good is about to happen. I immediately scroll.
Weird hearing someone say “WSJ” out loud instead of “Wall Street Journal” – it takes longer to say! Like that Alan Partridge bit about “VW” vs “Volkswagen”.
I wish I had the strength to get up and walk away when presented with a QR menu in a restaurant.
Talking of QR codes. I’m amazed by how ubiquitous they are now. I remember when they first appeared. They were a bit of a flop. You’d rarely see them. And non-techies didn’t know what they were or how to interact with them. But now they’re on anything and everything, and even my Dad knows how to scan them.

🧠 Things I Learnt

I lost the momentum of my reading habit when I was sick a few weeks back. And I’m yet to properly pick it up again. So I haven’t learnt too much this week.

But I did learn a new word: pogonophile – a person who likes beards.

👨‍💻 Things I Wrote

Hunter S. Thompson died 20 years ago (blot.blog)

Raising a glass of Wild Turkey to Hunter S. Thompson, who died 20 years ago today. The father of Gonzo journalism, he was a rebel, trailblazer, and master of chaos. (1937-2005) 🦇

If you’re unfamiliar with this work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hell’s Angels are good places to start.

And I have a particular soft spot for his novel The Rum Diary – it’s a great holiday read.

There’s also a brilliant documentary.

For a shorter example of his wit and insight you should read his ESPN column written on September 12, 2001 – the day after 9/11:

The towers are gone now, reduced to bloody rubble, along with all hopes for Peace in Our Time, in the United States or any other country. Make no mistake about it: We are At War now – with somebody – and we will stay At War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives.

It will be a Religious War, a sort of Christian Jihad, fueled by religious hatred and led by merciless fanatics on both sides. It will be guerilla warfare on a global scale, with no front lines and no identifiable enemy.

[…] We are going to punish somebody for this attack, but just who or what will be blown to smithereens for it is hard to say. Maybe Afghanistan, maybe Pakistan or Iraq, or possibly all three at once.

‘James Bond to be made by Amazon as British creators step back’ (blot.blog)

The Times:

Creative control of the James Bond film franchise is to become an all-American affair after long-time rights holders Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson announced they were stepping down and handing the reins to Amazon MGM Studios.

I think this is bad news, despite them remaining ‘co-owners’ of the franchise.

It always seemed that ‘Bond’ as a franchise and all it represents was largely held together by the dedication of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson – they were more than mere rights holders. They understood Bond, and I’m sure stopped many attempts to ‘modernise’ it.

I’m unsure how Amazonian MGM is. But after the dull Rings of Power, I don’t trust Amazon Studios to make the next Bond instalment(s) any good. I hope I’m wrong.

[Broccoli] was said to be relaxed about casting a person of colour or a gay actor, but less comfortable with a female or non-British Bond.

I wouldn’t say there’s loads of pressure for the next Bond to be non-white, American, gay or a woman¹ – mostly it just seems to be the media writing about it because they know it stirs the pot. But I trusted Broccoli and co. to not cave into any pressure if it wasn’t right for Bond. Whereas Amazon MGM might want to mix things up a bit too much with a strange choice for Bond or by changing the feel of the films.

I’m not silly enough to think that just because Amazon makes the punch-y Reacher and geopolitically charged Jack Ryan that their Bond will be an awful mix of the two – I’m sure they’re not that clueless. But whatever their Bond’s ‘feel’ is, I expect it to be mediocre.

Though you never know, maybe they’ll improve it.² I loved the Daniel Craig films and he’s my favourite Bond. But I would like a bit more fun and suavity injected back into it. Maybe Prime will deliver.

“U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts” (elliot.my)

Washington Post:

Security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud…

The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies.

One of the things I hate most about Britain and its governments³ is its weird anti-privacy obsession.

The witching hours (elliot.my)

It’s currently 01:32 and I was due to be asleep quite a few hours ago.

It’s fine. Once or twice a week I struggle to sleep. It’s a pain – especially when I’m working in-office the next day. But I’m used to it.⁴

On these sleepless evenings I worry about the lack of sleep I’m going to get. But another thing I think about is how much I like the nighttime.

I don’t do fun stuff like gaming whilst up late, like I did in my teenage years. I don’t do much at all really – just read, watch, and fiddle with my phone. That’s not why I like it.

I like it because the hours between 22:00–03:00 are when my brain and body work their best – I’m creative and energetic. And it makes me miss those years when I had a sleep pattern of 04:00–12:00.

Waking up early⁵ doesn’t bother me too much. I’ve even learnt to enjoy it.⁶ But on those days when I stay up late I get a glimpse of those midnight, witching hours that my internal clock is built for.

🎬 Films

Shrek 2 (2004)

When I saw a band dedicated to music from the Shrek films (The Ogretones (I even bought the t-shirt) they asked the crowd which was their favourite one. To my surprise Shrek 2 got by far the most cheers.

I’ve always thought of Shrek as the superior film, with the second one being decent and fun, but not quite in the same league.

So on this rewatching I tried to watch it through the lens of being better.

I still think #1 is the better film, technically. But #2 is just so much bloody fun. There’s so much humour, joy, and energy.

75%

Find out where to stream it.

🎵 Music

Not much music this week. But me and my girlfriend have been repeatedly listening to "Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)" by Gotye.

🍽️ Food

IKEA

I ate at IKEA because my girlfriend had never eaten there before. It took a couple of visits to convince her to try it (it didn’t look appetising to her at all).

Let’s be honest, the food isn’t special. It’s just exceptionally cheap. Except it’s not so cheap anymore. We paid £20.40 for 2 x meals, 2 x desserts and 2 x drinks. Cheaper than a restaurant that’s for sure. But it’s school cafeteria food at the end of the day. Still, I enjoyed the novelty factor.

Maryland Cookies

Maryland Cookies have been around for many years, and in the UK they’re the ‘default’ mass-produced cookie.⁷

I remember having them a few years ago and being shocked by their small size and lack of chocolate chips.

But they’re actually very good now. They’re still small, but they always have plenty of chocolate chips and taste perfectly pleasant considering you can get a pack for 90p.

Squashies Drumchick

I first ate these after eating some super sour sweats, and they tasted like nothing.

So when I came back a few days later to finish the pack I was shocked when I loved them. Their flavour is mild, but pleasant and addictive. And the little bird sweets are very cute.

Jelly Tots Tangy

Cook a cat, these are delicious. The tanginess and bitterness arrives the moment they hit your tongue. They do taste a bit artificial. But aside from that, these are tremendous.

🤳 Photos

These cleaning gloves at IKEA look like they want to check my prostate.

For my part, I think Bond can’t be a woman. But he can be non-white, or played by a non-British, non-heterosexual actor. ↩︎
For all my concerns about the quality of future Bond films, there’s been plenty of clangers down the years. The films are beloved, but not always good. ↩︎
And it is governments. Several governments, across both political parties, have tried their best to add encryption back doors. ↩︎
And often it’s self-inflicted. It is tonight. I ate some chocolate bars after dinner, so the caffeine in it is keeping me up. ↩︎
I tend to wake up at 06:30 in the winter months, and 06:00 in the summer months. ↩︎
Morning walks and reading are very pleasurable. ↩︎
For my US readers, they’re the UK equivalent of Chips Ahoy. ↩︎

'James Bond to be made by Amazon as British creators step back' -->

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 17:08:05 -0000

The Times:

Creative control of the James Bond film franchise is to become an all-American affair after long-time rights holders Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson announced they were stepping down and handing the reins to Amazon MGM Studios.

I think this is bad news, despite them remaining ‘co-owners’ of the franchise.

It always seemed that ‘Bond’ as a franchise and all it represents was largely held together by the dedication of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson – they were more than mere rights holders. They understood Bond, and I’m sure stopped many attempts to ‘modernise’ it.

I’m unsure how Amazonian MGM is. But after the dull Rings of Power, I don’t trust Amazon Studios to make the next Bond instalment(s) any good. I hope I’m wrong.

[Broccoli] was said to be relaxed about casting a person of colour or a gay actor, but less comfortable with a female or non-British Bond.

I wouldn’t say there’s loads of pressure for the next Bond to be non-white, American, gay or a woman¹ – mostly it just seems to be the media writing about it because they know it stirs the pot. But I trusted Broccoli and co. to not cave into any pressure if it wasn’t right for Bond. Whereas Amazon MGM might want to mix things up a bit too much with a strange choice for Bond or by changing the feel of the films.

I’m not silly enough to think that just because Amazon makes the punch-y Reacher and geopolitically charged Jack Ryan that their Bond will be an awful mix of the two – I’m sure they’re not that clueless. But whatever their Bond’s ‘feel’ is, I expect it to be mediocre.

Though you never know, maybe they’ll improve it.² I loved the Daniel Craig films and he’s my favourite Bond. But I would like a bit more fun and suavity injected back into it. Maybe Prime will deliver.

For my part, I think Bond can’t be a woman. But he can be non-white, or played by a non-British, non-heterosexual actor. ↩︎
For all my concerns about the quality of future Bond films, there’s been plenty of clangers down the years. The films are beloved, but not always good. ↩︎

Permalink: https://blot.blog/2025/02/20/james-bond-to-be-made-by-amazon-as-british-creators-step-back/

Hunter S. Thompson died 20 years ago today

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:17:00 -0000

Raising a glass of Wild Turkey to Hunter S. Thompson, who died 20 years ago today. The father of Gonzo journalism, he was a rebel, trailblazer, and master of chaos. (1937-2005) 🦇

If you’re unfamiliar with this work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hell’s Angels are good places to start.

And I have a particular soft spot for his novel The Rum Diary – it’s a great holiday read.

There’s also a brilliant documentary.

For a shorter example of his wit and insight you should read his ESPN column written on September 12, 2001 – the day after 9/11:

The towers are gone now, reduced to bloody rubble, along with all hopes for Peace in Our Time, in the United States or any other country. Make no mistake about it: We are At War now – with somebody – and we will stay At War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives.

It will be a Religious War, a sort of Christian Jihad, fueled by religious hatred and led by merciless fanatics on both sides. It will be guerilla warfare on a global scale, with no front lines and no identifiable enemy.

[…] We are going to punish somebody for this attack, but just who or what will be blown to smithereens for it is hard to say. Maybe Afghanistan, maybe Pakistan or Iraq, or possibly all three at once.

Weeknotes – February 10-16, 2025

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 17:55:00 -0000

Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week. Here’s what I’ve been up to.

📘 General notes

I had a cold

I picked up a cold two weeks ago and it took me 10 days just to feel vaguely normal. It really did beat me up.

It also made me oddly sad/depressed, which I haven’t experienced before via a cold. Very odd.

One thing I hate about being unwell is how my brain doesn’t work and I can’t read. It’s a shame, because I was throrougly enjoying “The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscripts Club” by Christopher de Hamel.

I did that typical thing of being unwell and thinking about life before being unwell and how wonderful it was and how when I felt better I was going to not take it for granted and look after myself better. And then I also did that thing of just carrying on as normal.

Step bet

In 2025 I have a wager going with me and two of my friends. Whoever does the least average steps per day has to pay for a feast of food and drink at a restaurant in London at Christmas.

And sadly being ill has put me out of the habit of hitting my daily step goal. I’m aiming for 7,800 per day, as I once watched a video that said the benefits of steps start to plateau at around that point. And 7,800 per day should be enough to beat my friends.

Buying a property

The biggest news of my week (and probably year) is that me and my girlfriend are buying a property! (It’s still all to be finalised, but barring a disaster, it’s happening). It has plenty of nice features. But the one I love above all else: its garden backs onto a huge field.

I’ve always dreamed of living right by woods and greenery, but I didn’t think for a second that it would be possible with my first property. I was hoping to just live within a short drive of one. So having easy access to one is fantastic. And it’s big too, not just a small park for dog walkers. I’m yet to walk around it to confirm, but it’s probably a 60 minute walk to loop all around it.

And of course a side benefit of this is that my step count will go up massively. Fingers crossed the purchase doesn’t all fall through.

Flannel

My body runs cold these days. A t-shirt and jacket doesn’t cut it anymore. So I’ve started wearing a flannel shirt over my t-shirt. I like it.

It keeps me warmer both outside and at home.
It’s smarter than a t-shirt.
There’s breast pockets for my Field Notes and pen.
I don’t have to wash the shirt often as my t-shirt takes the brunt of my sweat.

I have a few flannel shirts – by Uniqlo and Abercrombie & Fitch. But I’m currently fatter than normal, so most don’t fit me with a t-shirt underneath. So I used that as a good excuse to try and find a high-quality one to add to my Christmas list.

I considered L.L.Bean. But I remembered the character of Joel in The Last of Us TV show (absolutely fantastic show by the way) wore a gorgeous green one. So I looked it up, and you can buy it. It’s the Fjällglim shirt in laurel green by Fjallraven and I’m now the proud owner of one.

📝 Other notes

Most of my weekend has been spent microdosing liquorice.
It’s sad that if I see someone in the street jumping for joy, dancing or singing I assume that they’re either mentally ill or on drugs. Loudly and openly expressed joy is taboo (Especially in Britain. We look down on that sort of thing).

🎬 Film

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

I like the previous Tom Hardy / Charlize Theron one a lot – it’s a lot of fun. And I’ve rewatched it many times. But I didn’t have too much interest in a sequel. So it’s taken me a while to watch this.

It takes a little while for the film to ‘warm up’, with the first 40 minutes or so not grabbing much of my attention. But once it finds its feet this becomes a nice addition to the world of Mad Max. And there’s a war rig sequence in the middle that is especially good.

Like the previous one this is a visual feast – though the stylised and juddery CGI takes some getting used to.

Chris Hemsworth is fun. But the problem is that he’s too silly to be an evil villain, and he’s one of the weaker parts of the film.

The sound design is incredible. Volume wise it’s perfect, becoming loud only when it needs to (I didn’t have to constantly have the remote in my hand).

It’s not quite as good as the first one. Especially plot/story wise. But as a spectacle it’s still great fun.

73%

Find out where to stream it.
See this review on Letterboxd.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Rewatch. I’m just happy an Alan Partridge film exists. It’s not quite vintage Partridge, but feature lengths can often prove tricky for comedy.

If you’re not a fan of the character you can probably skip this. But if you’re a Partridge fan who has somehow missed it then give it a watch.

I have a real soft spot for this and rewatch it once a year. I find it oddly comforting as a film.

69%

Find out where to stream it.
See this review on Letterboxd.

📺 TV

Only Fools & Horses

Only Fools & Horses is often considered the greatest British comedy of all time. It’s certainly top five for me. I watch it every year.

Though every year I think maybe I’ll skip the annual rewatch and give it a break (I’m always scared of watching something I love too often and getting sick of it). But most years I simply can’t resist it. And the same is true in 2025.

I did miss a few episodes this time, as I fell asleep most nights with it on in the background. And I never watch the final few episodes after they ‘return’.

There’s plenty of TV shows I feel nostalgic towards. But Only Fools is in a whole other league. I think because I first watched it young, and because it looks so old now. It feels from a whole other era. And I love it.

I wouldn’t recommend most people to watch it though. Non-English shouldn’t watch it, because the jokes are quite UK-specific. And younger people shouldn’t watch it because it does feel quite dated. Don’t get me wrong though, if you like the look of it, give it a go!

Life’s Too Short

Life’s Too Short is often underrated in the Ricky Gervais / Stephen Merchant catalogue. Actor Warwick Davis plays an ego-driven, fictionalised version of himself. It’s as good as The Office (UK) or Extras, but it’s still worth a watch if you like awkward comedy.

I’m Alan Partridge

One thing you learn about me is that I like routines and traditions. And for quite a few years my routine when I would get drunk was to fall asleep whilst watching I’m Alan Partridge.

I don’t drink much these days (between the ages of 22-29 I would get drunk probably once a week. For the past several years I only get drunk 3-4 times a year), and when I do I don’t watch this show anymore. So it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it. Too long, considering it’s one of my favourite shows ever.

If you don’t know, Alan Partridge is a comedy character created by Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci. He’s a failed TV presenter turned local radio DJ in Norwich, characterised by his social awkwardness, inflated sense of self-importance, and constant failed attempts to revive his TV career. He represents a particular type of desperate, middle-aged British media personality who can’t accept that his best days are behind him. And he makes hilarious viewing.

There’s been plenty of Partridge shows, books and specials down the years, but I’m Alan Partridge is probably the best of the bunch. It’s a classic.

📖 Read

As I mentioned, my cold meant I couldn’t read much. But I’m reading “The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscripts Club” by Christopher de Hamel.

🎵 Music

I’m out the habit of listening to music right now – sadly. I’m not even listening to ambient music whilst working at the moment.

But off the back of his Super Bowl halftime performance, I’ve listened to a bit of Kendrick Lamar.

👨‍💻 Posted

On my tech blog I posted probably the longest post I’ve done. It’s a deep dive into the tech the powers my life
Threads now shows you ’notifications’ that is just random content
“In praise of the hundred page idea”
Penguin’s have got to be one of the worst chocolate bars going
There’s an asteroid called 2024 YR4 that might hit earth some time in 2032
“There has never been a better time in history to love and be loved”
I’m not a fan of tiny mug handles
On not going to the doctor

'10,046 out-of-copyright works, free for all to browse, download, and reuse' -->

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 08:49:00 -0000

Public Domain Image Archive from the Public Domain Review:

Explore our hand-picked collection of 10,046 out-of-copyright works, free for all to browse, download, and reuse. This is a living database with new images added every week.

Permalink: https://blot.blog/2025/01/21/10046-out-of-copyright-works-free-for-all-to-browse-download-and-reuse/

How Andrew Roberts writes his diary

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 09:25:00 -0000

I expected historian Andrew Roberts to make me feel bad about my diary habits when he spoke about it on the Tim Ferriss Show ° (.mp3).

I imagined: lengthy nightly sessions, perfect consistency, deep reflection.

Instead, Roberts:

Writes in the morning (he drinks at night)
Only writes when something interesting happens
Keeps entries around 500 words

This was refreshing to hear. I’ve been stuck on rigid rules: minimum 750 words, every single night, no excuses.

Roberts shows a simpler path of writing only when you have something to say, and only what needs saying.

If a historian who’s written 20+ books takes this approach to his diary, maybe I can relax my rules too.

On Writing: Short Enough to Finish, Long Enough to Matter

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 11:25:05 -0000

Listen to this post.

My instinct is to ramble when I write. And whilst my final ruthlessly edited drafts are fairly compact, could I go further, into minimalist territory?

As a blogger, what style and length should your writing be? Short and punchy? Or longer and more in-depth, with plenty of details and examples?

I have a “Essays & Long-form” folder in my RSS reader, full of great writers. Yet most days I don’t even look in there. It’s rare for me to have the motivation to read 2000 words on medieval side hustles, for example. And when I do look in there and see a long post I like I’ll save it in my ‘read later’ app. Where the article will likely remain, unread.

I never have that problem with concise writers. Derek Sivers’ writing is compact in the extreme.¹ I’ll always read it right away.

And yet, when I look at some of my favourite ever articles they’re nearly always detailed, long-form and verbose. My life has never been changed by a 250 word article. In fact, I often forget I ever read them.

Take Shortform, a service that summarises books so you don’t have to bother reading the book. It’s a nice idea. I was subscribed for a month or two. But I can’t remember much about the books I ‘read’ on there.

Concepts themselves are often easy enough to understand. It’s the nuances, the multiple examples, the drawn-out explanations that actually make them stick. And it’s tough for a reader to emotionally connect with a summary.

As a blogger, you should default to succinctness. People often read in ‘in between’ moments and there’s always fierce competition for a blog readers attention. But it’s vital to find a balance between making your writing concise enough to respect readers’ time, but long enough to let your ideas breathe.

The ultimate aim is to make it short enough to finish, long enough to matter.

They’re almost edited to the point of sounding like Kevin in The Office. “Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick? ↩︎

ADHD and the Struggle With Internal Expectations

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 08:12:05 -0000

I have ADHD. Yet I often act as if I don’t.

Things I expect, yet can’t achieve:

Cook homemade meals every night
Follow verbal instructions flawlessly
Stick religiously to routines
Avoid impulse purchases entirely
Completely resist binge eating
Remember much of what I read
Excel at laundry management

It’s time I face facts: these traits aren’t vanishing. They’re part of me.

I’m learning that ADHD is about balance. Accepting some things, fighting others. Setting realistic expectations.

Frozen meals five nights a week? That’s okay. It beats fast food and sweets when I’m knackered and hungry. I’ll focus on adding fruit and veg instead.

Forget minute-by-minute routines. They’re a recipe for failure. I’ll nail the essentials: teeth, shower, tidy up. Make reading, walks and meditation optional. No more ‘ruined’ days when I skip them.

At work, I’ll be upfront: “I process information better in writing. Mind if I share my screen to take notes? You can correct any mistakes.”

Living with ADHD means working with my brain, not against it. It’s about finding strategies that actually work, not expecting myself to fit into the neurotypical mould.

ADHD and the Burden of Possessions

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:38:05 -0000

10 Things You Think You Need to Organize, But Should Minimize Instead °

The list has things like toiletries, tupperware, towels, kitchen gadgets, clothing and shoes. All things that I spend a lot of time organising when I should probably be minimising.

My ADHD complicates and makes things worse. Every item has an oversized effect. The burden of storing it, cleaning it, and organising it is immense.

ADHD folk should live simply and minimally. But instead we impulse buy and pick up a new hobby every month.

So we end up with unneeded things haunting us for years. We stuff it into the back of cupboards and closets, when we should just admit defeat and throw it away.

We cling to clutter for silly reasons:

“I’ll sell it someday.” (No, we won’t.)
“I’ll restart that two-week hobby.” (No, we won’t.)
“It’s too big for the bin and requires a tip run.” (So, just do it.)
“I can’t be bothered right now.” (So, just do it.)

We only eventually throw it away when we have an overstimulated panic about it.

I’m known in my family for ‘squirrelling’ things away – pilling things up in closets instead of organising or chucking them. And when I do that one of two things happen:

I totally forget about the item until I stumble upon it again in 6 months.
I think about the item daily. It’s difficult to explain, but it takes up space in my brain. Whilst it’s unorganised in a closet my brain is constantly ‘aware’ of it and it somehow uses up my limited brain power.

So I should just throw things away. And I will. At some point anyway.

The Ron Swanson Approach: Birthdays for Introverts

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 08:29:05 -0000

In Parks and Recreation’s third season there’s a moment that perfectly captures the introvert’s dilemma.

Ron, a man who guards his privacy and peace fiercely, dreads Leslie’s notorious penchant for over-the-top celebrations. As the day approaches, his anxiety builds. But when the moment arrives, he’s met with an unexpected gift - solitude. Leslie has arranged for him to enjoy a steak, whisky, and “The Bridge on the River Kwai” in peaceful isolation.

I see my own struggles mirrored perfectly in this scene. Like Ron, I approach birthdays with trepidation.

The obligatory dinner out fills me with unease. I spend the evening on edge, anticipating the dreaded moment when waitstaff emerge with a cake, subjecting me to the half-hearted “happy birthday to you” singing of strangers.

Gift-opening becomes a performative ordeal, with anticipating gazes fixed upon me. My struggle to express enthusiasm has disappointed gift givers more than once.

The same is true of reading cards. You can feel their expectant eyes burning into you as you read their kind words, unsure how to react or what to say. Do I go and hug them or just say thanks? I never know.

You don’t want to complain about any of this of course. People’s hearts are in the right place and they’re just trying to be kind.

Though, there are those few who take a perverse pleasure in purposefully doing things they know you’ll hate. Seeing you distressed and uncomfortable seems to bring them joy.

It’s ironic that on the one day meant to celebrate me, I too often feel like I’m conforming to others’ expectations. It feels less about my happiness, and more about fulfilling social conventions.

This birthday conundrum exemplifies a broader issue: our extrovert-centric world often overlooks the needs of introverts.

So the idea of a Ron Swanson-style birthday - one tailored to my own quiet, simple preferences - sounds like bliss. And I’m sure it does for other introverts too.

Your brain is not a computer -->

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 08:18:05 -0000

Research psychologist Robert Epstein argues that our understanding of the human brain is being held back by the persuasive ’the brain is like a computer’ metaphor.

I especially like this passage showing that our knowledge of ourselves has always been influenced by the technology of the time. We’re just too complicated, so we shoehorn in mechanical parallels:

In his book In Our Own Image (2015), the artificial intelligence expert George Zarkadakis describes six different metaphors people have employed over the past 2,000 years to try to explain human intelligence.

In the earliest one, eventually preserved in the Bible, humans were formed from clay or dirt, which an intelligent god then infused with its spirit…

The invention of hydraulic engineering in the 3rd century BCE led to the popularity of a hydraulic model of human intelligence, the idea that the flow of different fluids in the body – the ‘humours’ – accounted for both our physical and mental functioning. The hydraulic metaphor persisted for more than 1,600 years, handicapping medical practice all the while.

By the 1500s, automata powered by springs and gears had been devised, eventually inspiring leading thinkers such as René Descartes to assert that humans are complex machines. In the 1600s, the British philosopher Thomas Hobbes suggested that thinking arose from small mechanical motions in the brain. By the 1700s, discoveries about electricity and chemistry led to new theories of human intelligence – again, largely metaphorical in nature…

The mathematician John von Neumann stated flatly that the function of the human nervous system is ‘prima facie digital’, drawing parallel after parallel between the components of the computing machines of the day and the components of the human brain

Each metaphor reflected the most advanced thinking of the era that spawned it. Predictably, just a few years after the dawn of computer technology in the 1940s, the brain was said to operate like a computer, with the role of physical hardware played by the brain itself and our thoughts serving as software…

What about digitising a brain?:

Even if we had the ability to take a snapshot of all of the brain’s 86 billion neurons and then to simulate the state of those neurons in a computer, that vast pattern would mean nothing outside the body of the brain that produced it.

Permalink: https://blot.blog/2024/06/20/your-brain-is-not-a-computer/

1920’s depression treatment: lots of milk and lots of nothing

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 15:28:57 -0000

I’m currently reading “English Food: A People’s History” by Diane Purkiss. I thought this passage on Virginia Woolf’s depression treatment interesting:

Virginia Woolf, on the other hand, was in the 1920s treated, if that is the right word, by the then recommended regime of complete rest – not even books were allowed, lest they excite the brain – milk, weight gain, fresh air and early nights. One of her doctors, Sir George Savage, was especially keen to treat neurasthenic women by excessive feeding and complete rest. Woolf was given four or five pints of milk every day, half a pint every two hours. After five days of milk on this scale, she was allowed to add a cutlet, malt extract, cod liver oil and beef tea. The rather brainless thinking behind the regime was that since patients like Woolf stopped eating and lost weight when depressed, they could be forced back into wellness by being made to gain weight.

Imagine having depression and your ‘treatment’ is being forced to do nothing and drink loads of milk.

Side note. I like this picture of her. She looks so very human:

1930’s Protective Foods

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 15:24:49 -0000

I’m currently reading “English Food: A People’s History” by Diane Purkiss.

There’s a section on the hardships of people during the Great Depression. And after a sad, brief mention of a woman named Annie Weaving who died aged 37 ° potentially due to not being able to feed both herself and her family there’s a reference to something called “protective foods”.

I’d never heard the term. I thought they might be “protected” as in having their price controlled by the government. But it’s actually the precursor to the food pyramid idea.

One poster I found promoting it suggests this:

PINT MILK, 1 EGG, 1 POTATO AND TWO OTHER VEGETABLES (ONE OF THESE A GREEN LEAFY ONE), 2 SERVINGS OF FRUIT (AT LEAST ONE RAW), 1 SERVING OF MEAT OR FISH, 1 OZ. BUTTER.

And I think it still holds up. Could it be improved? Probably. But it’s simple and realistic. I like it.

People often overthink diet. So I like simplicity. It reminds me of Michael Pollan’s mantra:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Some info on the history of the food pyramid here °.

Millenarianism

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 11:38:07 -0000

One of the things I don’t like about certain religious groups and people is their love of round numbers. Or more specifically round years. Every new century, half-century or decade they claim something miraculous and/or terrible is going to happen¹

To me it’s just lazy, easy prophesying. And I find it rather silly. If religion is fantasy then these predictions are high fantasy. They’re always the same. The non-believers will burn. And the believers will live in a utopia or be taken to heaven. There’s never any subtlety or precision.

And it’s been happening for centuries. In the book I’m currently reading – “Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire" by Roger Crowley – it talks about how as the year 1500 approached Christian’s in Europe were expecting a huge event, as always. And of course nothing happened, as always.

Researching this phenomenon I’ve discovered there’s a name for it: Millenarianism. I’m sure it’s a phenomenon that won’t end any time soon.

Though 2012 wasn’t very round. I’ll give them that one. ↩︎

Give me some citations please

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 09:57:16 -0000

I recently started reading "Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire" by Roger Crowley. While I’ve only highlighted two passages so far, both of them contained incorrect information.

The first passage:

The Romans knew of the Canary Islands, a smattering of rocks off the coast of Morocco, which they called the Fortunate Islands and from which they measured longitude.

After some research, I discovered that while Ptolemy used the Canary Islands as a theoretical reference point for longitude, the Romans did not actually use this method for navigation.

The second passage:

[In China] in 1500 it became a capital offence to build a ship with more than two masts; fifty years later it was a crime even to put to sea in one.

While there were indeed strict rules on shipbuilding in China during this period, it was never a capital offence unless it was associated with piracy or treason.

The importance of citing sources

It’s possible that the author had access to sources I’m unaware of, and I could be mistaken. However, this experience reinforces my wariness of books that don’t cite their sources.

I still enjoy reading non-fiction books that are free of citations, and I do my best to trust the information they provide. However, I often assume that around 25% of the content is inaccurate. This doesn’t even take into account the potential inaccuracies, omissions, or biases in the historical sources themselves – a topic for another post.

This a lesson in how useful, but worrying, it can be to try and find sources for what you read.

[I acknowledge the irony of not citing sources in this post!]

Late bedtimes might harm your mental health, even if you're a nightowl

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 08:42:09 -0000

Neuroscience News °:

Staying up late harms mental health regardless of one’s natural sleep preference. Surveying nearly 75,000 adults, researchers discovered that both morning and night types who stayed up late had higher rates of mental disorders. Surprisingly, aligning with one’s chronotype didn’t matter—early bedtimes benefited everyone. The study suggests lights out by 1 a.m. for better mental health.

[…] “The worst-case scenario is definitely the late-night people staying up late,” Zeitzer said. Night owls being true to their chronotype were 20% to 40% more likely to have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, compared with night owls following an early or intermediate sleep schedule.

[…] They also tested the possibility that it was poor mental health causing people to stay up late, not the other way around. They tracked a subset of participants who had no previous diagnosis of a mental disorder for the next eight years.

During that time, night owls who slept late were the most likely to develop a mental health disorder.

I’ve noticed this – anecdotally. I’m a natural night owl, but I feel at my worst when I go to bed late.

I feel happier and healthier when in an earlier pattern. But I find it tough to remain in that pattern. My body and brain is constantly asking me to stay up later. And once or twice a week I’ll really struggle to get to sleep.

One thing that study didn’t look into is wether the increase of mental health issues is caused by what people do late at night, rather than just being awake late:

There may be many explanations for sleep timing’s link to mental well-being, but [the studies author] thinks it likely comes down to the poor decisions that people make in the wee hours of the morning.

Many harmful behaviors are more common at night, including suicidal thinking, violent crimes, alcohol and drug use, and overeating.

[…] His team plans to examine whether particular late-night behaviors, rather than timing per se, are linked to poor mental health.

In my case the bad outcomes seem to be caused by the staying up late, not what I do in those late hours.

Asket and stupid marketing experiments

Sun, 26 May 2024 04:43:10 -0000

Last week the clothing company Asket removed all images for their products.

I would be curious to know how much their sales dropped during that week.

Well, I’m guessing they dropped. Who knows, maybe the publicity outweighed the loss of sales. Hey, I’m talking about it. So the marketing has worked.

Aside: I always mix up Asket and Arket. They have similar names and they both sell slightly expensive minimal clothing. Maybe Cos should rebrand to Atket.

Big projects, small favours: Boost your work reputation by nailing the extremes

Sat, 25 May 2024 19:09:37 -0000

Want to be known as dependable and great at your job? Focus on the big and the small tasks.

People notice when that critical project is struggling. They also notice when you promise a small favour but take forever to deliver.

It’s tempting to tackle the medium tasks first. The small ones can wait until later. But suddenly it’s the end of the day and they’re not done.

And the big projects feel overwhelming, so you wait for the perfect time to start. Which never arrives.

So you spend most of your time on those hour-long tasks, neglecting the day-long ones and the 10 minute favours.

I’ve fallen into this trap. But I’ve learned that to be seen as reliable and effective, you need to prioritise the big and the small and get them done first.

Break up that big, daunting project into a bunch of different tasks and treat them as totally separate pieces of work.

When someone asks for a quick favour, do it quickly. So create time in your calendar. Choose one of the below:

5-10 minutes every hour.
- A good cadence if you like a ‘break’ every so often and can pick up right where you left off after the 5-10 minutes are over.
10-20 minutes 3 times a day.
- 11:00, after you’ve finished your 09:00-11:00 focus period.
- 13:30, after lunch when your energy is low.
- 16:45, right before the end of the day. Your desire to be done for the day will mean you will do those tasks fast.
45-60 minutes once a day.
- Do it in the post-lunch crash.

The medium tasks won’t make or break your reputation. But nailing the big projects and small details? That’s how you become the go-to person at work.

Travel? Meh

Sat, 25 May 2024 09:40:05 -0000

Venkatesh Rao (Ribbon Farm)°:

One of the biggest changes in my personality with middle age is that I no longer really enjoy travel beyond local weekend getaways. Almost no destination has a pain/novelty ratio that makes it worth it… Even though travel has gotten way more convenient overall (smartphones, eSIM cards, cashless payments, Uber, Google Translate — though at the expense of phone-loss anxiety), my tolerance for discomfort has plummeted. I don’t like shitty hotels/hostels, awkward couchsurfing, wrangling luggage, driving unfamiliar cars, figuring out transit systems… I especially don’t like wading through lots of options figuring out food options. The net effect is that I’ve gradually gone sessile.

I used to think I was supposed to love travel. Everyone else seems to. But I’ve realised it’s just not my thing.

I like the idea. Seeing the world, trying new things. And I love travel shows – Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown is a favourite. But the reality doesn’t live up to the hype for me.

Unknown places? No thanks. Spending tons of money? Pass. Flying? Hate it.

Every trip I feel a sense of dread and regret for booking it. Even visiting somewhere great, like my upcoming Seville trip, I’m just not that excited.

I don’t hate travel. But the joy I get doesn’t outweigh the things I don’t like.

And I feel embarrassed admitting this. People judge you as boring, lacking passion. There’s so much pressure to love travel.

Maybe when I’m old I’ll regret not traveling more. It’s a common deathbed regret.

But for now, I’m owning it: Travel? Meh. Just not for me.

Arun.is -->

Sun, 19 May 2024 09:05:29 -0000

I love discovering a wonderful new homepage or blog. Especially on the weekend when I have time to gently sip away at its content. This time it’s Arun and their website arun.is.

It’s a technology-focused blog that’s simply, but sensationally, designed. There’s quite the archive, so I haven’t read all their stuff, but here’s some of my favourites:

The Art of the Desk Setup and The Evolution of the Desk Setup. I’m forever fascinated by peoples desk setup. And this one goes into the methodology and reasoning, rather than it being a dispassionate list.
Introducing arun.is 2.0. I love a behind-the-scenes look at a blog.
The deep work guide to Slack. A good Slack productivity guide.
Why we crave healthier computing. How computers should maybe do less, so humans can do more.
Tools for professionals, tools for amateurs. As it says on the tin.

They also have a newsletter and another website called zen of things that showcases some beautiful products.

Permalink: https://blot.blog/2024/05/19/arun.is/

Film Review: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Sat, 11 May 2024 18:44:45 -0000

I’m a big fan of Guy Ritchie’s films. His first two, “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”, are the business. Even as he’s gone more Hollywood over the years, his work always maintains that unique Ritchie touch – the clever dialogue, the inventive filming style. His Sherlock Holmes felt fresh and modern, despite the period setting. And “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” was a blast. Even when he slightly misses the mark, like with “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” or “Wrath of Man” (a poor man’s “Heat”), there’s still enough Ritchie magic to make them worth a watch. His “Aladdin” was okayish too. Really, “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” is his only true dud (even the title is bad).

So, I was excited for “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”. The premise is great, revolving around a secret British commando unit formed during World War II to carry out covert operations against the Nazis. And the first hour was exactly what I wanted from a lazy Sunday flick. It was quintessentially English, almost to the point of parody, and it moved at a cracking pace. I love a good mercenary team-up film, and this one delivered.

Well for the first hour or so. As the second half of the film doesn’t quite stick the landing. The villain feels underutilised and not quite menacing enough. The fight scenes, which initially impressed with their stylish effortlessness, start to feel a bit repetitive and lack any real tension. You never doubt that our heroes will come out on top, which saps the stakes from the numerous altercations and the final big fight. The last hour just drags a bit, and I found my attention wandering.

Despite these issues, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is still a really solid film. It’s a fun, old-fashioned adventure that feels like a throwback in the best way. It reminded me of a combination of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Operation Mincemeat” and “The Wild Geese”.

The 19th Century's Lottery for Life

Sun, 05 May 2024 17:14:30 -0000

April 12, 1835. London. The weekly Friday lottery draw is about to take place and a young woman clutches her ticket with desperate hope as she speeds up Denmark Hill.

A ticket is difficult to get as it all but guarantees that you’ll see a favourable outcome in the draw. So every morning for the past three days the woman visited various wealthy homes, begging the servant who answered the door to let her see their master so she can plead her case for her worthiness of a ticket. And eventually she was thankfully gifted one.

However, once she arrives at her destination the staff on the door tell her the draw started ten minutes ago and they won’t admit her. She begs, telling them it’s a matter of life and death. But she’s simply reminded about the importance of punctuality to this establishment and asked to leave.

Dejected and distraught, she leaves the building and the city of London and returns to her home in the countryside. A few days later she dies.

The young woman – The Times reported – was suffering from a fistula, inflammation of the brain, and consumption. The ticket was to give her the chance of admission to King’s College Hospital. She’d been at the hospital earlier in the week, showing symptoms like abnormal discharge, fever, headache, vomiting, chest pain, shortness of breath and swelling. However, she was turned away. It was a Monday, and she was instructed to return on Friday’s “taking in day” — the sole day of the week when new patients were accepted.

Lindsey Fitzharris in her book The Butchering Art tell us more:

“In the nineteenth century, almost all the hospitals in London except the Royal Free controlled inpatient admission through a system of ticketing. One could obtain a ticket from one of the hospital’s “subscribers”, who had paid an annual fee in exchange for the right to recommend patients to the hospital and vote in elections of medical staff. Securing a ticket required tireless soliciting on the part of potential patients.”

The ticketing system was just one of the many cruel and arbitrary features of 19th-century London hospitals. Governors, not medical staff, determined which patients were admitted. Patients were required to attend daily chapel services, facing the threat of going without food if they did not comply. Punishments were meted out for offenses like gambling, swearing, and drunkenness. No patient could be admitted more than once with the same disease, and those deemed “incurable”, such as those with cancer or tuberculosis, were turned away. As were those with venereal infections.

The plight of this woman underscores the stark injustices of Victorian healthcare. It was an era where medical assistance was often a privilege reserved for the wealthy or well-connected, leaving countless people facing insurmountable barriers to treatment. And it serves as a reminder that despite the abolition of such Victorian healthcare systems, modern healthcare will still harbour poorly designed systems that perpetuate bias, cause needless delays, and foster negative outcomes.

'Stop Acting Like You're Famous' -->

Sun, 05 May 2024 15:52:58 -0000

Ash from ajkprojects.com °:

You aren’t famous. Anything you do or create will probably receive little to no attention, so stop optimizing for a non-existent audience and instead focus on what makes you enjoy the activity.

I’m an overthinker and overworrier. This article didn’t cure that. But it’s important for me to regularly read content like this to try and keep myself somewhat in check.

Permalink: https://blot.blog/2024/05/05/stop-acting-like-youre-famous/

4000 Weeks: Embracing Limits for a Fuller Life

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 16:20:06 -0000

Ever feel like you’re hurtling through life, desperately trying to cram everything in before it’s too late? Oliver Burkeman’s book “Four Thousand Weeks” aims to help you (4000 weeks is 80 years, the average human lifespan). But it’s not your typical time management book. It’s a philosophical and practical look at why you’re stuck in the hamster wheel of “getting things done.”

I read it recently. So let’s take a deeper look at it and it’s ideas.

And stick around until the end, as I’ve created an 8 week plan on how to put those ideas into action and improve your life 4000 weeks 🚀

The efficiency trap

We’re obsessed with efficiency. Apps, to-do lists, life hacks – we’ll try anything to squeeze more into our days. But here’s the kicker: it’s a trap. The more efficient you become, the more you pile on. It’s like trying to outrun your own shadow.

This “efficiency trap” is a hamster wheel to nowhere. You run faster and faster, but you’re still stuck in the same damn cage.

“The problem with trying to make time for everything that feels important…is that you definitely never will.”

Creative neglect

So what’s the alternative? Embrace your limitations. Accept that you can’t do it all. Choose your battles. Burkeman calls it “creative neglect.”

This means saying “no” more often. Saying “no” to the things that don’t matter, so you can say “hell yes” to the things that do. It means prioritising ruthlessly, focusing on what truly matters, and letting the rest go.

“If you don’t save a bit of your time for you, now, out of every week, there is no moment in the future when you’ll magically be done with everything and have loads of free time.” - Jessica Abel, quoted in Four Thousand Weeks

The antidote to our speed addiction

We’re addicted to speed. We want everything now. But life doesn’t work that way. Good things take time. Relationships take time. Creativity takes time.

Patience is the antidote to our speed addiction. It’s about slowing down, being present, and appreciating the journey. It’s about resisting the urge to rush and allowing things to unfold at their own pace.

“The experience of patience…gives things a kind of chewiness…into which you can sink your teeth.”

The joy of missing

We’re terrified of missing out. FOMO is the plague of our generation. But here’s the secret: missing out is inevitable. You can’t do everything. You can’t be everywhere. And that’s okay.

Embrace the FOMO. It’s what makes your choices meaningful. It’s what gives your life its unique flavour.

“It’s precisely the fact that I could have chosen a different and perhaps equally valuable way to spend this afternoon that bestows meaning on the choice I did make.”

Time is a shared experience

We’re obsessed with individual achievement. But we forget that we’re social creatures. We need each other. We thrive in community.

Time is a shared experience. It’s about synchronising with others, falling into rhythm, and creating a sense of belonging. It’s about participating in rituals, traditions, and collective endeavours that bind us together.

“The more Swedes who were off work simultaneously, the happier people got…as if an intangible, supernatural cloud of relaxation had settled over the nation as a whole.”

This is It

We avoid thinking about death. It’s uncomfortable. It’s scary. But denying it doesn’t make it go away.

Confronting your mortality is a wake-up call. It’s a reminder that this is it. This is your one shot at life. So stop wasting it on things that don’t matter.

“We are the sum of all the moments of our lives…we cannot escape it or conceal it.” - Thomas Wolfe, quoted in Four Thousand Weeks

Freedom in acceptance

Giving up hope might sound depressing, but it’s actually liberating. It means accepting the reality of your limitations and the uncertainty of life.

It’s about letting go of the illusion of control and embracing the present moment. It’s about doing what you can, with what you have, where you are.

“Abandoning hope is an affirmation, the beginning of the beginning.” - Pema Chödrön, quoted in Four Thousand Weeks

8 Weeks For Living 4000 Weeks

“Four Thousand Weeks” is about embracing your limitations, choosing your battles, living with intention and finding joy in the present moment. It’s about making your 4000 weeks count. Now try this 8-week experiment inspired by the book to achieve all those things.

Week 1: Done, not doing

Action: Start a “Done List.”
Why: Most to-do lists are endless guilt trips. Celebrate what you accomplish instead.
How: Each evening, jot down everything you finished, big or small. Savour the feeling of progress, not the pressure of what’s left.

Week 2: Time is yours, claim it

Action: Schedule “Creative Rendezvous” with yourself.
Why: Stop waiting for free time to appear. Make it happen.
How: Block out time in your calendar for your passions, just like you would for a meeting. Treat this time as sacred and non-negotiable.

Week 3: Stillness is the new hustle

Action: Try “Do Nothing” meditation.
Why: We’re addicted to doing. Learn to just be.
How: Sit for 5-10 minutes, doing nothing. Observe your thoughts without judgment. It’s harder than it sounds, but the calm is worth it.

Week 4: Enjoy the ride

Action: Start an “Atelic Adventure.”
Why: We’re obsessed with goals. Discover the joy of doing things just for the sake of doing them.
How: Pick a hobby you’ve always wanted to try, and focus on enjoying the process, not achieving mastery.

Week 5: Give now

Action: Practice “Instantaneous Generosity.”
Why: Generosity and goodness is contagious. So start the chain reaction. It makes you and them feel good.
How: When you feel the urge to give someone a compliment or do something nice, do it immediately. Wether it be a total stranger or your wife of 50 years. Don’t wait or get caught up in your head about how they’ll take it or hold back because they said something mean that morning. Just do it.

Week 6: The everyday is extraordinary

Action: Go on a “Novelty Quest.”
Why: Break the routine, wake up your senses.
How: Take a new route to work, try a new food you’ve always been curious about or avoided since childhood, or simply pay closer attention to the world around you. Get your head out your head and your eyes off your phone and rediscover the magic in the mundane.

Week 7: Get curious about the humans around you

Action: Become a “Relationship Researcher.”
Why: Deepen your connections by truly listening and understanding.
How: In conversations, focus on learning about the other person. Ask open-ended questions, listen without judgment, and be genuinely curious about their experiences and perspectives.

Week 8: Discomfort is your gym

Action: Embrace a “Growth Challenge.”
Why: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. That’s where growth happens.
How: Choose a challenge that pushes you outside your comfort zone. It’s a cliche, but a true one. It could be anything from having a difficult conversation to getting up 30 minutes earlier to go for a run. Embrace the discomfort and see how you transform.

Beyond 8 weeks: living a finite life to the fullest

This 8-week experiment is just a little taste of what’s possible when you embrace your limited, not unlimited, potential and prioritise what matters.

Keep exploring, keep experimenting, and keep making your 4000 weeks count.

And if you like Oliver Burkeman’s ideas don’t forget to buy the book and subscribe to his newsletter.

Little Links & Notes 8: Writing Hacks and the Pain of Existence

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 10:51:06 -0000

Hi all 👋 Long time no see. Hope you’re having a good Sunday. I’m back with the eighth instalment of Little Links & Notes. Enjoy, and have a good week.

“How I Went From Writing 2,000 Words a Day to 10,000 Words a Day” (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association – Rachel Aaron °).

You don’t have to be a writer to enjoy this article on how this person used a “Knowledge, Time, Enthusiasm” triangle to improve her daily writing output.

Here’s how she did it:

Knowledge: Know what you’re writing beforehand. In the past she knew roughly what she was writing about that day – knowing the plot and the scenes – but it wasn’t throughly broken down, step by step. So she used to waste time finding those steps as she went, which was slow and often needed rewrites. So at the start of each writing session she’d spend some time planning it out. He daily words went from 2K to 5K.
Time: She tracked her writing time and analysed patterns to identify the most productive times and writing locations for her. She realised that her words per hour was much higher with each extra hour she spent writing. Writing in short bursts didn’t work. Also her output was higher away from her home. So she optimised for longer, uninterrupted stretches in locations without internet distractions.
Enthusiasm: Her statistics showed that her writing output was much higher for scenes she was excited to write. So she got my ruthless on what she included in her book. So she stopped writing any scenes she wasn’t massively excited to write. “If I had scenes that were boring enough that I didn’t want to write them, then there was no way in hell anyone would want to read them.”

Is life more pain than pleasure? (Small Potatoes – Paul Bloom °).

A look at the antinatalism and the work of David Benatar which both have the view that it is morally wrong to bring new sentient beings into existence because life inevitably involves more suffering than happiness or well-being.

There’s some interesting quotes from Benatar in this post, such as:

“Even in good health, much of every day is spent in discomfort. Within hours, we become thirsty and hungry. … When we can access food and beverage and thus succeed in warding off hunger and thirst for a while, we then come to feel the discomfort of distended bladders and bowels. … We also spend much of our time in thermal discomfort—feeling either too hot or too cold. Unless one naps at the first sign of weariness, one spends quite a bit of the day feeling tired. Indeed, many people wake up tired and spend the day in that state. … Itches and allergies are common. Minor illnesses like colds are suffered by almost everybody. … Many women of reproductive years suffer regular menstrual pains and menopausal women suffer hot flashes. … Conditions such as nausea, hypoglycemia, seizures, and chronic pain are widespread.”

[…] “The most intense pleasures are short-lived, whereas the worst pains can be much more enduring. Orgasms, for example, pass quickly. Gastronomic pleasures last a bit longer, but even if the pleasure of good food is protracted, it lasts no more than a few hours. Severe pains can endure for days, months, and years. Indeed, pleasures in general—not just the most sublime of them—tend to be shorter-lived than pains. Chronic pain is rampant, but there is no such thing as chronic pleasure.”

[…] “Would you trade five minutes of the worst pain imaginable for five minutes of the greatest pleasure?”

And Benatar’s counter argument that when people are asked about their happiness that they don’t report they’re utterly miserable is because they’re poor judges":

“People are very unreliable judges of the quality of their own lives.”

[…] “Most humans have accommodated to the human condition and thus fail to notice just how bad it is. Their expectations and evaluations are rooted in this unfortunate baseline. Longevity, for example, is judged relative to the longest actual human lifespans and not relative to an ideal standard. The same is true of knowledge, understanding, moral goodness, and aesthetic appreciation. Similarly, we expect recovery to take longer than injury, and thus we judge the quality of human life off that baseline, even though it is an appalling fact of life that the odds are stacked against us in this and other ways.”

And if people are in more pain the pleasure why aren’t they killing themselves? He says:

“I claim that our deepest cognitive bias is “existence bias”, which means that we will simply do almost anything to prolong our own existence. For us, sustaining one’s existence is the default goal in almost every case of uncertainty, even if it may violate rationality constraints, simply because it is a biological imperative that has been burned into our nervous systems over millennia.”

Colin Farrell in “Sugar”

Watched

Civil War - 82%. Film, cinema. I love the work of Alex Garland. Ex Machina, Men and Annihilation were all great. And so was this one. Wow was it intense. You need to see this in the cinema as sound is an important part. The film does have its flaws. But I’ll skip over them because a) spoilers. And b) this was just a great experience. It’s got some humour, action, a stance, and more tension than I’ve experienced for a while.
Amy (2015) - 79%. Documentary film, streaming. Rewatch. My girlfriend is a huge Amy Winehouse fan so we decided to watch this again. Usually documentaries released so close after a persons death really are lacking. But not this one. It captures her well. The lack of talking heads, and just talking voices, works nicely and even if you’re not a Winehouse fan this is worth a watch. As afterwards you might just be, despite how flawed she was.
Scoop - 62%. Film, streaming, About the Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal. It’s okay. The makeup for Rufus Sewell playing Andrew is great. As is he. But this film very much felt like a Channel 4 TV movie and it never quite gets into top gear. And the big finale – the interview – needed to be longer and more tension-filled.
Also, I’m not going to review it just yet as the season isn’t over. But I am in love with the first three episodes of Sugar. Colin Farrell as a private detective. It’s campy, fun and utterly stylish. I love it. Watch it on AppleTV+.

Using a Shell Script to Automate the Building and Deploying of My Hugo Blog

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:22:21 -0000

blot.blog is powered by Hugo, which is static site generator. So basically my blog is a bunch of Markdown and other files that then gets ‘built’ into HTML, CSS, etc. files and then uploaded to the web. But the thing is, this all has to be done manually by command in the Terminal. It’s a pain and adds an extra layer of friction when it comes to blogging. And it also means it’s a huge pain to update the blog via my phone.

So I’ve finally gotten around to automating it via a shell script to reduce this friction. Here’s what it does:

Hazel checks if there’s a Markdown file in my drafts folder with the word publish in it. If so, the script is run.
The script edits the ‘front matter’ metadata of the post by marking it as no longer a draft and inserting the current date and time.
Extracts the title from the post and renames the file as YYYY-MM-DD - blog-post-title.md and moves it into the non-drafts folder.
Builds the blog and deploys it to Amazon S3.
Does a git commit and push.

It’s worked well so far. And as the script runs on my always-on Mac mini I can write a post on my phone and all I have to do is add publish to the beginning of the file name to automatically publish it.

Hopefully this will mean I blog a bit more often.

(Here’s the code, if you’re interested)

Movie Review: Your Christmas Or Mine? (2022)

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:49:51 -0000

Through a transport and communication mishap, a couple accidentally spend Christmas at the others’ family home. One family is cold but rich. The other warm but less rich. That’s the premise.

I was annoyed at first when the couple got ‘split up’. How can you have a romantic comedy without them being together‽ But I got over that and I warmed to this film. It took quite a while to find its feet, but once it did it had just enough charm to keep me interested and satisfied. And whilst the ending doesn’t quite land this was still a worthwhile watch. Well, judge for yourself. If you’re totally against romantic, cheesy film that give this one a skip. But I can tolerate even middling examples of that category, so for me it was worthwhile.

Though I freely admit that if this wasn’t a Christmas film I wouldn’t have rated it as high and probably wouldn’t have even given it a go at all. And is it good enough to make the Christmas film yearly rewatch list? Unless it particularly speaks to you, probably not.

59%

Streaming on Amazon Prime.

Shane MacGowan Has Died

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:34:12 -0000

“The Pogues were once described as a tight, professional bunch of musicians fronted by a total shambles.”

Shane MacGowen, frontman of The Pogues, has died aged 65. A decent innings in some ways, considering his lifestyle.

I haven’t listened to pretty much anything of The Pogues and the limited knowledge I have of MacGowen is just of his hellraising. But there is one song of the band that I know very well: Fairytale of New York.

I’m not sure of its reputation outside the U.K., but here it is one of the big ones. So much so that it was voted as the nation’s favourite Christmas song °. It’s certainly one of my absolute favourites. It cuts a nice contrast against the usual sickly sweet Christmas songs, and it’s an actual proper, good song. I always listen to Driving Home For Christmas (by Chris Rea, Spotify link) and Fairytale of New York when I officially want to kick off Christmas.

Below is a good live version of Fairytale of New York. But here’s the album version if you prefer.

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Alexis Petridis of the Guardian has written a brief summary ° of his life and music that’s worth your time.

Obituaries: The Guardian ° / BBC °

Little Links & Notes 7

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:02:06 -0000

Recipe timings before the invention of clocks (Making Darkness Light: The Lives and Times of John Milton).

Recipe books, if they needed to tell their readers how long to undertake a given action, would often say things like: ‘Let it remain boiling, while your pulse beateth two hundred strokes’ or The water is to remain upon it, no longer than whiles you can say the Miserere psalm very leisurely.'

New York City has 340,000 millionaires. That’s more than Cincinnati has residents (The Daily Upside).

AltTab. The power of Windows’s “alt-tab” window switcher to macOS (via Dense Discovery)

Protesilaos Stavrou. I always discovering new personal blog/homepage. And I like Protesilaos’s one.

A mistake repeated more than once is a decision. – Paulo Coelho

Little Links & Notes 6

Sun, 23 Apr 2023 07:14:09 -0000

‘A new ‘miracle’ weight-loss drug really works — raising huge questions’ (Financial Times °).

It’s pretty pricey right now. Costing $1,350/mo in the US.

Something interesting about being obese:

Once it becomes obese, the human body tends to push itself to rebound to its previous highest weight. Scientists don’t fully understand why, or how to stop it.

The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century (The Guardian °). I usually hate these sorts of lists and massively disagree with them. But this one is actually pretty good.

The Fireplace Delusion (Sam Harris °).

The case against burning wood is every bit as clear as the case against smoking cigarettes. Indeed, it is even clearer, because when you light a fire, you needlessly poison the air that everyone around you for miles must breathe… By lighting a fire, you are creating pollution that you cannot dispose. Your neighbors should not have to pay the cost of this archaic behavior of yours.

I have discovered that when I make this case, even to highly intelligent and health-conscious men and women, a psychological truth quickly becomes as visible as a pair of clenched fists: They do not want to believe any of it. Most people I meet want to live in a world in which wood smoke is harmless. Indeed, they seem committed to living in such a world, regardless of the facts. To try to convince them that burning wood is harmful—and has always been so—is somehow offensive. The ritual of burning wood is simply too comforting and too familiar to be reconsidered, its consolation so ancient and ubiquitous that it has to be benign. The alternative—burning gas over fake logs—seems a sacrilege.

The Seasonality of Weight Gain (Prime Cuts Newsletter °).

If you miss the single best day of the year in stocks, your performance suffers badly over the long run… I was thinking about how the average adult in the US gains around 1-2 pounds per year… All of it (and then some) comes during the winter months.

[…] I wonder what would happen to that 1-2 pound average annual weight gain per adult, if we removed three days: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve. These three days alone account for the majority of the weight adults gain annually in the US.

AI can ‘hallucinate’ (Every / Dan Shipper °).

Hallucination is a technical term that refers to the model’s propensity to return nonsensical or false completions depending on what’s asked of it. The model is like a smart and overeager 6-year-old. It will try its best to give you a good answer even if it doesn’t know what it’s talking about. OpenAI and other foundational-model companies are actively working on this problem, but it’s still common. It’s compounded by the second problem.

The fifteen-hour days and long walking commutes of Victorian Britain (The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London).

Many of those [workers] walking long distances [5-10 miles] then worked twelve-, fourteen-, sixteen-hour days, at the end of which they then walked home again. The great journalist of working-class London, Henry Mayhew, noted in passing what he considered ‘the ordinary hours’ of employment: from 06:00 to 18:00…

Shifts for drivers of hackney cabs were always long: the shorter shifts lasted eleven or twelve hours, the long shifts from fourteen to sixteen hours, sometimes more. (The horses could work nothing like these hours: two or three horses were needed for a twelve-hour shift.) Even worse were the hours of many omnibus employees: frequently drivers and conductors worked twenty hours at a stretch, beginning at 4 a.m. and ending at midnight, with an hour and a half off during that time.

The industry average, however, was fifteen hours: 7 a.m. to midnight, with seven minutes for dinner, and ten minutes between journeys at the termini. Shop assistants worked equally long hours. One linen draper told his fellows at the Metropolitan Drapers’ Association that he had started to close his shop at 7 p.m. instead of 10 – thus working an eleven-hour day – and had found it saved money: ‘so cheerful and assiduous’ were the staff made by these short hours that he could manage with fewer employees. Henry Vizetelly, later a publisher, worked his apprenticeship as a wood-engraver, walking ten miles daily from Brixton to Judd Street in Bloomsbury and back, leaving his lodgings at about six and arriving home again around ten. And, he pointed out in his memoirs, he was lucky: City hours were longer.

For me, magazines (and newspapers too) are such a poor value in comparison to books. Today when I was in my local newsagents I noticed that a copy of the New Scientist costs £7. It’s a slim, weekly magazine. BBC History Magazine – a monthly – was £6.

If you’re interested in science or history why not spend a little more money to get a long, detailed book instead? Something that will really help you understand and grasp the subject, rather than a 500 word cursory article.

I understand that certain magazines are time sensitive and are about recent news or might not have a book equivalent. But there’s plenty of new science books published each month on new and groundbreaking subjects. And if you’re into history there’s a wealth of books, new and old.

Whenever I pick up a magazine the moment and notice the price I nearly always just think to myself “I’d gladly rather just spend double this to get a book instead that will have hundreds of times more content.”

Niccolò Machiavelli in “The Prince”.

“When evening has come, I return to my house and go into my study. At the door I take off my clothes of the day, covered with mud and mire, and I put on my regal and courtly garments; and decently reclothed, I enter the ancient courts of ancient men, where, received by them lovingly, I feed on the food that alone is mine and that I was born for. There I am not ashamed to speak with them and to ask them the reason for their actions; and they in their humanity reply to me. And for the space of four hours I feel no boredom, I forget every pain, I do not fear poverty, death does not frighten me. I deliver myself entirely to them.”

Watched

Tim’s Vermeer - 76%. Documentary. Rewatch. An inventor thinks that the painter Johannes Vermeer had the help of an optical device to paint his masterpieces. He goes to extraordinary and practical lengths to prove this. It’s shot and looks like a web documentary. But this is so great and compelling that you don’t care.
Hellboy - 76%. Rewatch. The Nazi’s raise a demon from the other side to help their war effort. But the twist is that the demon falls into the hands of the allies and becomes the good guy. In my mind this is a little bit like a supernatural Indiana Jones. It’s one of my favourite comic book film adaptions. A little corny. But it’s also a great, slightly dumb fun. I consider this a ‘pizza’ movie.
Role Models - 68%. Rewatch. Two screw-ups have to mentor two young kids as part of community service. This is one of my comfort films. Quietly heartwarming. And Joe Lo Truglio’s small role as a chap who takes LARPing a bit too seriously is wonderful (spoilers from 02:20 in).
Avatar: The Way of Water - 48%. The second Avatar film. It looks pretty, but I just didn’t… care. Turned it off about half way in.

Listened

New Riders of the Purple Sage - 1971 - New Riders of the Purple Sage - 7/10: Decent enough, though not outstanding. A nice pretty mellow Country Rock album with a few nice songs. It grew on me as it went on.
New Riders of the Purple Sage - 1972 - Powerglide - 5/10: Short and sweet. There’s some standard rock elements here, but there’s also the expected country fare. There’s no outstanding songs on this album, but there’s plenty of really solid ones.
New Riders of the Purple Sage - 1972 - Gypsy Cowboy - 5/10
New Riders of the Purple Sage - 1973 - The Adventures of Panama Red - 4/10: Looks like this is their most popular album. But for me this is the worst one so far. The album is less than 30 minutes long and it’s rather dull. Fast-paced, but boring songs. Lonesome L.A. Cowboy is on this album which is arguably their best song, but aside from that this album isn’t great.
μ‐Ziq - 2023 - 1977 - 7/10: Really loving this at the moment. It’s an electronic ‘background’ album for me, that I listen to whilst programming. It blends nicely into the background and I’ve had on a loop for a week or two. h

A Stopped Watch

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 11:10:09 -0000

My watch stopped recently. I like my watch. It is (usually) reliable and has been a loyal friend for many years. And I must glance at it dozens of times a day. But suddenly it stopped.

At first I would instinctively continue to check it, only to be reminded – after a beat or two – that the time it was showing was a lie.

Despite all those thousands of instances down the years where I’d loyally turned to it for the right time and it had loyally delivered, all of a sudden none of that mattered. And it took just an hour or two for the habit and the trust to break and for me to stop looking to it.

I didn’t judge it too harshly though. All watches do stop at some point. That’s not their fault. They just need a service or a battery change every now and then. So that’s what I did. I gave it a chance for redemption.

However, problems persisted even after a service. It would stop or run slow. And the trust in it continued to erode.

It did continue to be beautiful to look at throughout. But all the good looks in the world can’t make up for it failing at its main job.

I eventually binned it. You can only trust a lying watch so many times.

Relationships are like this. Accumulative goodwill does build up. But only kind of; within limits. All you have to do is treat a partner badly a couple of times back-to-back for that trust to breakdown. For them to stop looking to you for the time.

You don’t always have to be right or perfect. But you certainly can’t be wrong or unreliable too many times in a row – no matter how long you’ve been reliably ticking away before that.

Lilacs and War

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 12:05:09 -0000

It’s early summer and a veteran of the First World War is walking hand-in-hand with his young son through the lush English countryside. His lungs have never fully recovered from the gas attacks he endured in the trenches, so it’s only a short stroll – just a gentle morning meander really.

After pointing out a rummaging squirrel and a rounded robin to his child he momentarily shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath as he soaks up the warmth of the dawn sun. He notices a smell on the breeze. It’s the scent of blossoming lilac shrubs.

His heart rate increases and adrenaline floods his body. Sheer panic sets in and he feels entirely breathless and helpless. His head hurriedly swivels from side-to-side as he searches all around for some imagined device that will help him. He collapses in a heap in the dew-soaked grass, writhing and screaming all the while.

Confused and crying, his son tirelessly tugs at his fathers cuffs as he shouts “What’s wrong, Daddy?! What’s wrong?!”

During World War I the Germans hid the smell of mustard gas by adding a tear gas. It was called xylyl bromide and it smelt just like lilac shrubs. The former soldier was experiencing a PTSD flashback and panic attack brought on by the simple smell of a pretty purple flower.

Little Links & Notes 5

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 10:07:09 -0000

‘When Coal First Arrived, Americans Said ‘No Thanks’’ (Smithsonian;°

But convincing Americans to use the new fuel proved tricky… Many people hated the aesthetics of stoves because they were enclosed, and you couldn’t see the flames within as you could in a traditional fireplace. In articles and speeches, prominent citizens protested, denouncing stoves as, essentially, un-American… The cultural arguments piled up. Food cooked in stoves was baked, not broiled, and that, too, offended American tastes… “People were blaming coal-fired stoves for impaired vision, impaired nerves, baldness and tooth decay,” says Barbara Freese, author of Coal: A Human History.

‘All History is Revisionist History’ (Humanities Magazine / James M. Banner Jr.°)

This article is a tad lifeless and an editor really needed to cut down its length. But, it’s still likely worth your time.

Don’t have the time? Here’s the summary:

Distinct from “the past” are the narratives and analyses that historians offer about earlier times. That’s what we call “history.” History is what people make of the forever-gone past out of surviving documents and artifacts, human recall, and such items as photographs, films, and sound recordings. And because each historian is an individual human being… they come to hold different views, have different purposes, create different interpretations, and put forth their own distinctive understandings of “the past.”

[…] Many people find it difficult to accept such frequent challenges to what they were taught to think of as unalterably fixed and true. It’s not surprising that they ask in bewilderment: If the past can’t change, then how can the history about it do so? They’re offended to learn that at least some of what they were taught early in life as “history” is no longer fully accepted by historians and is instead taught in different ways… Many people are ready to dismiss all such interpretations as no more than “revisionist history”—the result of ideology, politics, and misbegotten negativism.

[…] All written history is revisionist in intent or consequence. Revisionist history is a universal phenomenon. Historians’ debates and shifting views of their subjects are the principal means by which they approach, while never reaching, their goal of understanding the extraordinary complexity of human life in times before their own.

[…] In no case does a new way of viewing the past annihilate older ones. On the contrary: Discarded historical interpretations, like strata of ancient sedimentary rock, lie buried atop each other, out of sight until they’re made visible again for study and use. Renewed, reconsidered, and repurposed, they can then fuel fresh struggles to understand the past. Revisionist history ensures the unending renewal of knowledge of what came before our own days on earth. We should celebrate as well as accept that fact.

Michael Sugrue on Marcus Aurelius and stoicism (YouTube, here’s a audio-only copy). This 42 minute lecture is probably my favourite, simple explanation of stoicism. I do disagree with one or two of his points, but overall this is a great introduction to stoic philosophy and Marcus Aurelius. Worth a watch.

And here’s an article ° on Michel Sugrue and how after he uploaded his old lectures from the 1990’s to YouTube he ‘became a phenomenon’ (bit of a stretch there, but still).

When I come across a word I don’t know whilst reading I will immediately search for its meaning, jot it down in WorkFlowy, then later add it into Anki (my spaced repetition software of choice) with the hope that I will learn it.

However I’ve slowed down a little on this recently. I just spend too much time and brain power learning words which the Oxford Dictionary label as ‘archaic °’. Basically words not really used any more.

My new strategy is only to learn new words that I’ve already come across quite a few times or that are particularly good words.

Though if I stumble upon a word that I don’t know in a popular magazine or online article I will nearly always learn it. Because if it’s featured in a place like that it’s probably a fairly common word and worth learning.

Last night I saw an advert for a TV show called Let’s Game ° that’s made by Sky, a traditional cable provider. It’s essentially a ‘let’s play’ gaming YouTube channel, only it’s on TV (or available to stream).

Sky have obviously realised this is what the kids want and watch these days (though I’m sure quite a few executives took some convincing. “It’s a show where you watch people play video games?!”) and have decided to offer them a more polished version of a ’let’s play’ hoping to entice a younger audience to their services.

The show is aired on the Sky Kids channel, so is aimed to a very young audience, with their parents being the ones actually paying the bill. But I’m sure most young kids don’t use Sky or even know what it is these days. When they want to watch something they go straight to YouTube or Netflix, even if their household has Sky. Sky knows this, and I’d imagine with this show they’re just hoping that kids might actually become aware of their existence and get used to their (awful, expensive) ecosystem in the hope that when the kid grows up they’ll maybe consider a Sky subscription.

Little Links & Notes 4

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 10:32:09 -0000

On realising that friends often talk about you behind your back and that they don’t always give you the benefit of the doubt (New York Times °, from 2013).

Hearing other people’s uncensored opinions of you is an unpleasant reminder that you’re just another person in the world, and everyone else does not always view you in the forgiving light that you hope they do, making all allowances, always on your side. There’s something existentially alarming about finding out how little room we occupy, and how little allegiance we command, in other people’s heads.

[…] The operative fallacy here is that we believe that unconditional love means not seeing anything negative about someone, when it really means pretty much the opposite: loving someone despite their infuriating flaws and essential absurdity.

We don’t give other people credit for the same interior complexity we take for granted in ourselves, the same capacity for holding contradictory feelings in balance, for complexly alloyed affections, for bottomless generosity of heart and petty, capricious malice. We can’t believe that anyone could be unkind to us and still be genuinely fond of us, although we do it all the time.

The last seven Marvel movies haven’t been released in Chinese cinemas as their censors haven’t approved them (The Hollywood Reporter °).

We don’t know the exact reasons as the censors never explain their decisions. But, the likely reasons:

‘Anti-Chinese’ comments by Eternals’ director Chloe Zhao.
The main star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu, made similar comments.
Same story with Tom Hardy and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Black Widow had some anti-communist sentiment.
Spider-Man: No Way Home featured the Statue of Liberty too much (ha!).
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness had a gay character.
And Thor 4 has hints of a non-heterosexual character.

A barrel of 46-year-old Ardbeg whisky has sold for £16m (Financial Times °).

That’s more than double the price the entire Ardbeg distillery ° was sold for back in 1997. The value of Scotch whisky grew 14% in 2021. I wrote last year about the increasing cost of whisky.

Child sexual abuse in Greenland is rampant (CBC °).

In the 2007… a staggering 52% of women and 22% of men said they experienced severe sexual abuse during childhood.

(via Slate Star Codex’s Suicide Hotspots of the World °)

The reason you ‘see stars’ after a hard whack to the head is because the cells in the occipital lobe (the visual processing area of the brain) get shaken and start sending out random electrical signals, which the eye displays as random bursts of light, or ‘stars’. (via Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock, and How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and Health by Russell Foster)

Little Links & Notes

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 14:09:09 -0000

Get Ready for the Forever Plague (The Tyee / Andrew Nikiforuk °). ‘Public health officials’ COVID complacency has opened the door to new illnesses and devastating long-term damage.’

This article is scary in its to-the-pointness. There’s a lot of bold, worrying claims within it. Some of which don’t have any links to papers to back them up. But either way, the gist of the article is:

COVID isn’t going anywhere and is mutating quickly.
Governments and the public aren’t behaving like the above is true.

One of the biggest takeaways I had from the article that I wasn’t aware of before is that each time you get COVID you’re more likely to get issues, especially long-term ones. I presumed it was the other way around. But:

Reinfections… just increase the damage from COVID, which can be profound: immune dysregulation, blood clots, nerve cell death, inflammation, lung damage, kidney failure and brain damage. […] But each and every infection will damage your immune system regardless of how mild the symptoms.

[…] A pandemic that progressively weakens its host population with each successive wave is ultimately more dangerous than one that dispatches 10 per cent of the population and then vanishes.

COVID continues to be scary. It’s now been over a year since I first got COVID (and the resulting long COVID) and I’m still dealing with the severe effects it’s had on me. Brain fog, sleep disturbances, fatigue and muscle soreness (the last two literally keep from exercising at all). Live your life, but remain cautious of COVID and just don’t forget that it is still out there.

Whilst reading this cute blog post ° about someone growing to love a neighbours cat I discovered that in America it is unusual ° for a cat to be an ‘outdoor cat’. Here in the UK the opposite is true.

Gulfstream’s latest £38 million private jet can’t land if there’s a brisk wind. The billionaires who bought them aren’t happy about it.

“There’s a reason why going to a high school reunion is so awkward, and in some cases so terrifying: we are re-engaging with people with whom we shared a baseline, with whom we were (and still are) close to in age, and with whom we shared a common social environment at one point in our lives. our lives. That is why it is all the more mortifying to see the disparities, and why the urge to compare is far stronger than it would be with someone who went to high school in a different state or who graduated in a different year. We’re less likely to think of ourselves as their rival.”

– Luke Burgis (via fs.blog °)

All throughout the American War of Independence George Washington was a shareholder in the Bank of England (via Till Time’s Last Sand: A History of the Bank of England 1694-2013 by David Kynaston).

The Quest by Circadian Medicine to Make the Most of Our Body Clocks (New York Times °).

Can’t Afford the Gas to Cook

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:24:36 -0000

(Lots of money talk in the UK today as the Chancellor of the Exchequer ° has released his ‘spring statement’°).

The Telegraph °:

….surging inflation will [cause] the biggest fall in living standards in any single financial year since records began in 1956.

An anecdotal tweet coming from a Daily Mail journalist ° isn’t the most trustworthy combination. But still, this quote speaks volumes about just how expensive gas and electricity is in the U.K. right now:

…some food banks are rejecting potatoes and root veg because people ‘can’t afford the energy to boil them’.

Also °:

I was at food bank in Leicester recently and heard of someone who when given fresh food commented they would now need to switch the fridge back on.

Also the Telegraph °:

The packed lunch is back. As office workers return en masse, John Lewis (for my non-UK readers, John Lewis is a shop, not a person by the way haha) reports that sales of plastic food containers are up 64 per cent on the same week last year.

Tolkien, Orwell and Simple Living

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:01:09 -0000

Darcy Moore ° looks at the surprising similarities between George Orwell and J.R.R. Tolkien.

And I really like these two quotes by them:

“Outside my work the thing I care most about is gardening, especially vegetable gardening. I like English cookery and English beer, French red wines, Spanish white wines, Indian tea, strong tobacco, coal fires, candle light and comfortable chairs.”

— George Orwell

“I am in fact a Hobbit in all but size. I like gardens, trees, and unmechanised farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food, but detest French cooking; I like, and even dare to wear in these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms; have a very simple sense of humour; I go to bed late and get up late.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien

Little Links & Notes

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 13:34:06 -0000

Good afternoon everyone. It’s a beautifully mild and spotlessly sunny lunchtime in southern England right now and here I am with this instalment of Little Links & Notes. A few long reads this time – but as always, they’re there because they’re worth your bandwidth. Enjoy them and your evening. – elliot

‘How Putin’s Oligarchs Bought London’ (The New Yorker / Patrick Radden Keefe °)

[Britain became] a no-questions-asked service provider to the crooked élite, offering access to capital markets, prime real estate, shopping at Harrods, and illustrious private schools, along with accountants for tax tricks, attorneys for legal squabbles, and “reputation managers” for inconvenient backstories. It starts with visas; any foreigner with adequate funds can buy one, by investing two million pounds in the U.K. (Ten million can buy you permanent residency.)

[…] The oligarchs “feel free to buy Belgravia, kill dissidents in Piccadilly with Polonium 210, fight each other in the High Court, and hide their children in British boarding schools.

[…] According to an investigation by BuzzFeed News, U.S. intelligence believes that at least fourteen people have been assassinated on British soil by Russian mafia groups or secret services, which sometimes collaborate, but British authorities tend not to name suspects or bring charges. (Instead, they have concluded with an unsettling frequency that such deaths are suicides.) In an interview with NPR in late February, Bill Browder was asked whether he would name Russian oligarchs who had not yet been sanctioned but should be. “I live in London,” he said. “So it’s very unwise to name names.”

‘The Case for Induction Cooking’ (New York Times °)

Reasons to go induction include: it’s easier to clean, doesn’t heat up the kitchen, you can be more precise with the temperature, it doesn’t pollute the planet and it also heats pans via electromagnets, which is insanely cool.

Also: “For children who live in a home with a gas stove, the increased risk of asthma is on par with living in a home with a smoker.”

A look at the “color bar” – a form of segregation – in Britain’s pubs of the past and one mans attempt to end it. (Good Beer Hunting / David Jesudason).

‘The Diderot Effect: Why We Want Things We Don’t Need — And What to Do About It’ (James Clear °)

The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption which leads you to acquire more new things. As a result, we end up buying things that our previous selves never needed to feel happy or fulfilled.

Starbucks is planning to phase out disposable cups (CNN Business °). This is the right thing to do. Customers and staff alike are going to hate it for a while, I’m sure. But it’s the right thing to do.

If you’re in the UK you should know that “Taboo” starring Tom Hardy is now on Netflix (it’s on Hulu if you’re in America). It’s an underrated, dark gem and a favourite of mine. It is long overdue a second season, but don’t let that put you off.

Little Links & Notes

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 17:26:38 -0000

Ran Prieur ° on not choosing suicide:

“But I think the most universal reason to keep living is the beauty of small moments. If you look for them, you can find them all over, and think to yourself, I’m glad I’m still here to see this.”

I immediately dislike any website that has a non-standard scrollbar or does anything funky with how scrolling works. I find it unnerving and it plays havoc with my muscle memory.

6% of Ukrainians (2.5M people) have now left the country. (The Economist °)

The cover of this weeks New Yorker ° is very beautiful, and very sad. Side note: I don’t really buy magazines, but $8.99 seems very expensive for a weekly magazine to me?

Live Intentionally: The Results – trms (Lorenzo Gravina)°:

Last week, I resolved to stay a day without Internet, and I said I’d let you know how it went. Well, I did as promised, and here are the results.

One result I was expecting, and which felt particularly good, was the complete eradication of gray areas… I call ‘gray areas’ those times when you’re just zombie-ing through online content, not fully conscious about what it is you’re doing. Well, since there is no “online content” to speak of, those times were gone too.

As a result, I was always doing something consciously. This is the best part about the Internet-free day, and why I’m thinking about making it a weekly occurrence. Unplugging from the Internet won’t increase your productivity, it’s not about that. I still did things I’d consider a “waste of time.” But it will make you more conscious about what you’re doing.

“The most serious problem facing any organization is the one that cannot be discussed.”

— Marc Andreessen (@pmarca)°

Legs Look Weird

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 17:02:59 -0000

Alan from the Hangover has freaky and weird legs

Jerry Seinfield has talked about how there’s something about certain jokes that for whatever reason get deep inside of you and you think about them all the time.

Lines from movies can be like that too. And there’s a line in the Hangover where Alan is asked to put some trousers on because his legs look “weird” and “freaky”.

And I must think about that line weekly. It really speaks to me. Because for me nearly all legs look weird somehow.

Especially mens legs. For example, how many men actually look good in shorts? A tiny amount can pull the look off. Even if they’re good looking chaps and have nice legs most of the time wearing shorts makes them look almost chickenlike. Shorts can even transform a cool person into someone totally uncool.

I notice this on screen too – yes, the-legs-are-weird phenomenon affects movie stars too. Because not only do legs look weird, but they often move weird too.

Have you ever experienced this: you spend half the movie watching a badass character from the waist up doing badass things. But then just for a moment or two you see a wide shot, properly showing them from the waist down for the first time, and the badass illusion is shattered. They somehow move with all the grace of an arthritic middle-aged man.

There’s plenty examples of this.

There’s the famous Steven Seagal running compilation (though in this particular instance it’s more his arms than his legs that make him look uncool).

And what about Scarlett Johansson running in the Avengers:

The most recent one I noticed was whilst watching True Detective. Matthew McConaughey has an intense conversation with Woody Harrelson where he comes across totally cool:

But then afterwards he rather awkwardly walks off:

For whatever reason legs do just look weird and it’s seemingly very tough to move them in a cool way. No wonder movie stars are actually trained how to run.

Low Birth Rates and High War Deaths

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 19:05:00 -0000

Wrong Side of History (Ed West)†:

It’s hard to imagine but back in the 1970s one of the most-read books was Paul R. Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb, which contained the alarming claim: ‘The battle to feed humanity is over. In the 1970s the world will undergo famines — hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death.’

It now appears that out-of-control population growth is something we don’t have to worry about too much. Nearly all countries that move from ‘developing’ to ‘developed’ see their birthing rate slow down and often their population actually starts to decline.

So, running out of food isn’t quite the problem we thought it would become. But what are the problems and side effects of an increasingly aged world?

There’s the obvious things of course. Cruise ships and business’ in the health care industry will see more sales and health issues like dementia will become a bigger problem. But it might effect war too:

Most wealthy countries have median ages of over 40, and middle-aged people don’t like starting fights. We have responsibilities and worries, our frontal-lobes have made us cautious, and our testosterone levels are in terminal decline.

In the 1930s, when Spain erupted into war, the median age was half of what it is now. In the early 1990s the median age in Bosnia was less than 30, while today it is over 40. When Lebanon’s civil war began the average Lebanese man would have been one of six children and three brothers. Today he is one of just two siblings. That is at least partly why recent political instability and financial crisis has not led to a repeat of the war. [Author Paul Morland] cites ‘studies of decade-long periods reveal that there is almost no civil war in countries where 55 per cent or more of the population is aged over thirty.’

‘While it cannot be said that youthfulness “causes” war,’ he writes, ‘or that maturity “causes” peace, a society’s age structure creates background conditions against which other things either do or don’t spark conflict.’

And what about the Russo-Ukrainian War that’s currently raging. How does ageing populations effect that? Well, the byline of the article is ‘why Russia can’t afford to spare its young soldiers anymore’, and the author says:

If the Russians turn out to have no stomach for this fight, it will probably be for the simple fact that the country does not have enough men to spare. The majority of those poor young men killed for Russia’s honour will be their mother’s only son, in many cases their only child…

Right now I think Russia does have plenty of young men left to sacrifice in this pointless – though relatively small-scale – war with Ukraine. But they will certainly run into real issues if the war drags on (which is likely) or expands in fronts and the ferocity of its fighting. Because it’s doubtless true that Russia can’t afford the long term consequences of losing too many young men in this war.

Russia has the worst of both worlds. They having an ageing population – their birth rate is lower than it was following WWII when they lost around 40% of their adult men. And Russian men also die young – 25% before the age of 55.

And the life expectancy of the men who do survive this war isn’t going to go up. They’ll likely come back not just with physical injuries that shortens their life, but also mental ones like PTSD too. One of the big reasons Russian men die young is their over-consumption of vodka †. And booze related deaths will go up even higher after the war, as ex-soldiers are more likely to suffer from alcoholism †.

So to summarise. Russia doesn’t have an abundance of young men. Those they do have are currently being sent to die in a war in increasing numbers. Those that survive the war will be too injured or drunk to work. And those that can work won’t have a job to go to due to the likely collapse of the Russian economy. Resulting in them – like their injured colleagues – also being more likely to die young, due to either vodka or suicide.

This war in Ukraine has already caused Russia to suffer enough economic sanctions that it will take them a generation or two to financially recover. But if you add to that a protracted war that will result in a large amount of deaths of their young men – men that aren’t being replaced by births – it’s likely to result in a total catastrophe that will take Russia close to a century to recover from – if ever.

Here’s a few other tidbits from the article † I found interesting:

In China… by 2050 there will be 150 million [people over the age of 80].

More than a quarter of major Japanese start-ups… involve care for the elderly.

Europeans once expressed alarm about encroaching dominance by the world of Islam, but most Arab countries now have moderate if not low fertility.

As fertility has declined, so various governments have changed their attitudes to family size. Singapore’s official advice in the 1960s was ‘Stop at Two’ but by 1987 it was ‘Have Three or More (if you can afford it).’

Older people tend to vote for their own self-interests… Voters with pensions and homes opt for lower growth and restricted housebuilding, further raising the cost of home ownership for the young and so pushing down the fertility rate still further.

Economic Sanctions Cause Discomfort in a Very Comfortable Modern World

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:18:53 -0000

The Nazi’s preprepared their economy for the inevitable sanctions and supply chain issues long before they invaded Poland in 1939 – they even went as far as doing things like inventing synthetic rubber. The Russian’s have done no such thing.

It was always going to be hard for them to prepare for the inevitable economic war following them starting an actual war, when they’re trying to convince their citizens and soldiers that a ‘special military operation’ is going down, not actual said war. But the few higher-up Russian’s who did know what was about to happen haven’t even done the bare basics in preparation. And by the sounds of it their citizens are going to be out of everything from paracetamol to IKEA Billy bookcases in no time at all. And what happens then?

I’ve always suspected that a revolution or overthrowing of a government by citizens is very unlikely to happen in developed countries in this day of age. Placated by movies, fast food and fancy modern conveniences, people are just far too comfortable and have too much to risk to attempt a revolution – even if their government is a nightmare.

Modern life is in a way subjugating. It was probably much easier to find the motivation to get out there and join a revolution in times of old when you don’t own a home, your child has died due to lack of medicine, you haven’t eaten for three days, and you’re just generally uncomfortable.

But by the looks if it Russian citizens could sadly start experiencing such motivating hardships very shortly. And the question is what happens next? Will they be happy tucked up in their houses watching state propaganda television rather than Netflix, browsing government Telegram updates on their Phone rather than Twitter and YouTube and getting by on rationed food rather McDonalds and KFC? Or will their discomfort motivate them to do something drastic? Only time will tell.

Enablers of dirty Russian money in London + What's an 'Unexplained Wealth Order'?

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 09:18:15 -0000

Simon Kuper (Financial Times)°:

French economist Gabriel Zucman estimated in 2014 that 52 per cent of Russian wealth was held offshore — surely the largest-ever exportation of elite money.

Kleptocrats appreciate Britain’s rule of law as long as it leaves them alone. The kleptocratic cycle is “steal, hide, spend”… Local beneficiaries range from accountants to sex workers, bankers to dog walkers, and bodyguards to universities.

Britain’s ruling party swims in Russian money °. Lubov Chernukhin, whose husband was a minister under Putin, has given the Conservatives more than £2.1mn ° since becoming a British citizen. In 2014, she paid £160,000 to play tennis ° with London’s then mayor, Boris Johnson.

London’s enablers use many self-justifications, some of them true. Everybody does it. Russian money boosts London’s economy. If it didn’t come here, it would go elsewhere. Enablers see themselves as skilled, non-ideological technicians, almost like dentists: a London lawyer friend boasted to me about the complexity of the tax shelters she designed.

This “discretion” is a marker of enabler language, writes American anthropologist Samuel Weeks. Enablers protect their clients’ “privacy”, say “international” instead of “tax haven”, and use modern diversity language to suggest that anyone who questions Russian money is racist.

“Russians accused of corruption or links to the Kremlin” have bought £1.5bn worth of British property just since 2016, reports Transparency International °, while admitting that this estimate is “the tip of the iceberg” since many purchasers use shell companies.

In the first two-and-a-half years of Johnson’s premiership, the UK issued precisely zero Unexplained Wealth Orders ° to investigate the origins of suspicious funds. Now, hurriedly drawn-up rules will catch more of Putin’s friends.

I hadn’t heard of an ‘Unexplained Wealth Order’ before.

Essentially it allows law enforcement to say to a judge ’look, we have no hard evidence of any criminal activity or money laundering. But, on the balance of probability this person is a dirty crook and their money is equally dirty.’ And it then allows the confiscation of property if the person can’t prove that their money is clean.

I don’t like the sound of any of that, as it puts the burden of proof on the accused rather than the government. And the law could quite easily be abused by a dictatorial regime.

However, it looks like it was implemented in 2018 in direct response to the accusation that the UK is a ‘hub for dirty money’. And it isn’t really intended for ’normal people’, like the many construction workers in the UK who don’t declare their income to the tax office and then use their money to buy house after house and become a land baron (a separate issue – though one that effects me directly more than Russia money in London).

And it hasn’t really used been used anyway:

having only been obtained nine times relating to four cases as of February 2022. None have been obtained since the end of 2019. Source °.

Only four cases in 2018 and none since 2019. I expect there to be quite a few more than that in 2022. And right now I’m sure that the British government is mighty glad that this law exists. Russian oligarchs holed up in their Chelsea flats? Probably less so.

Just pay Russian soldiers to surrender?

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 17:48:03 -0000

Ukraine is offering ° Russian soldiers currently involved in the Russo-Ukrainian War ° around $48,000 to throw down their weapons and surrender.

Bryan Caplan sees some issues ° though:

The soldier has to somehow slip away from the Russian army.
They have to hope the Ukrainians don’t kill them (even after surrendering).
If Ukraine loses the war they will end up being charged with desertion by the Russians.
What if Ukraine wins the war but is so broke that they can’t pay the soldiers?
As part of a peace agreement they could be transferred back to Russia.

So he suggests a slight alteration:

The EU, in cooperation with Ukraine, offers $100,000 plus EU citizenship to any Russian deserter.

But won’t that be too expensive? Apparently not:

Even in a magical scenario where all of the roughly 200,000 Russian troops in the vicinity take the deal, $100,000 per soldier is a mere $20 billion. That’s less than one-fifth of what Germany now plans to spend on defense in 2022 alone.

'Why the Russians Are Struggling' -->

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 12:31:19 -0000

Summary:

Conscripts do just a 12 month term. Which is no where near long enough to learn to become a solider.
The front in Ukraine is simply too wide. Eventually, if/when the Russian converge into the central parts of Ukraine the various fractions will be able to support each other. But right now the Russian’s are spread far too thin.
The Russians were expecting a blitzkrieg, so they haven’t implemented the logistics necessary for a longer conflict. Some of their vehicles can’t even fill up their petrol tank.

National Review (Mark Antonio Wright):

As I have written before, urban combat is hell. And as the Russians are learning, fire can come from all sides. The fog of war becomes all-enveloping… In urban combat, units tend to drift towards the path of least resistance and “easy” avenues of approach such as major roadways — which can play right into the defenders’ hands by funneling the attackers into overlapping fields of fire.

It takes tremendous courage and discipline to initiate a “movement to contact” operation in an urban setting. It takes effective communication both within a unit and with the units on your left and right. There can be no shortcuts. […] As the Marines say, “Movement without suppression is suicide.”

The Russians do not appear to be good at the details, and their failures at the operational and tactical levels have made an inherently difficult task much, much harder. This is why they are struggling. It’s why they will now turn to brute force to try to smash their way into the capital.

Permalink: https://blot.blog/2022/03/02/why-the-russians-are-struggling/

Sigmund Freud aged 26 and 36

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 11:26:06 -0000

Sigmund Freud aged 26 and aged 36

Photo one is of him in 1882 – via the New York Times.

Photo two is in 1892 – via Microscopy UK.

“Humanity is just not what I think it is.”

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 16:33:02 -0000

Louis Theroux has a new TV series out called “Forbidden America”. In this week’s episode he looked at the business of porn in the post-MeToo world.

One of the people he interviewed was a woman named Jen Mondello (AKA Jennifer Steele), who was raped by pornstar Ron Jeremy.

When telling the story to Theroux she said that right after the assault:

“that was when the switch flipped, of… humanities just not what I think it is.”

That moment is one that too many people have to sadly go through at some point in their lives. And it causes a real shift in sensitivity. From optimism to pessimism. From mostly happy to mostly sad.

Before that moment, you’re aware of the horrors of the world. You read news stories about it and hear it second hand from others and reply “that’s awful”. But it’s distant somehow. It never really connects.

But then an event occurs that changes that. It could be something huge and horrific, like a sexual assault. Or a relatively smaller thing, like witnessing animal abuse.

Some have that moment as a child. Others not until an adult. And the lucky majority never have it.

But for those that do, something clicks and then breaks. A noticeable and sizeable shift happens. And from then on a sadness lingers and your perception of the world is tainted. A miasma descends and doesn’t leave.

And all of a sudden sad things aren’t simply just sad anymore. They’re devastating reminders of that moment and how everything has changed forever (and that’s one of the biggest realisations: the permanency of the change. That things have changed for good. Innocence is lost and not returning).

And going forward there’s always that brittleness and sensitivity inside of you that has to be catered for. You might cater to it via simple steps like avoiding negative news stories and not watching depressing films. Or more involved ones such as seeing a therapist and totally changing your lifestyle. Or you might go in that other more tempting direction and take up alcohol and drugs (those substances hit different after the moment. They transform into an all too attractive tonic to forget and to cope).

But either way, special compensation has to be made. Because otherwise the now evidently miserable world will engulf you entirely.

Highly anticipated experiences are often underwhelming

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 14:34:42 -0000

Morgan Housel °:

Going to the moon is the coolest thing humans have ever done.

You’d think it would be an overwhelming experience. But as the spacecraft hovered over the moon, Michael Collins turned to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and said:

It’s amazing how quickly you adapt. It doesn’t seem weird at all to me to look out there and see the moon going by, you know?

Three months later, after Al Bean walked on the moon during Apollo 12, he turned to astronaut Pete Conrad and said “It’s kind of like the song: Is that all there is?” Conrad was relieved, because he secretly felt the same, describing his moonwalk as spectacular but not momentous.

Most mental upside comes from the thrill of anticipation – actual experiences tend to fall flat, and your mind quickly moves on to anticipating the next event. That’s how dopamine works.

Expectations also shift and goalposts move faster than you can imagine. Collins once said of Aldrin: “He resents not being first on the moon more than he appreciates being second.”

[…] Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

[…] You think you know how it’ll feel. Then you experience it firsthand and you realize, Ah, OK. It’s more complicated than you thought.

'My first web3 webpage' -->

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 13:51:15 -0000

Interesting blog post by Dries Buytaert °.

And after reading it I had a serious poke around web3 for the first time. It’s not for me – right now anyway. Everything is so difficult, manual, complicated and expensive to set up (to an almost hilarious extent). If I was 15 again I’d probably have the energy to explore further, despite the annoyance (in fact the annoyance would be half the fun). But I’m too old to be an early adopter of this sort of stuff now. I just don’t have the energy.

But I do like the Wild West nature of the blockchain right now. That’s what new tech should be about, while everyone tries to work out what it can become and do. And let’s be honest, web 2.0 is too clean, siloed and boring these days. We need something new to revitalise the internet.

So I can’t wait to revisit web3 in a few years once things become a little easier and see what’s become of it. I’m sure my slowness means I’m going to miss out on the elliot.eth domain and some other early adopter benefits, but I’m okay with that. I’m just looking forward to what exciting and cool things will be accomplished. See you again in a few years web3.

Permalink: https://blot.blog/2022/02/27/my-first-web3-webpage/

February 26th, 2022

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 15:06:21 -0000

I don’t have an opinion on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Nor any knowledge on them. However, it’s so plainly obvious to me that there’s a media witch-hunt against them. I mean, I rarely read newspapers. And when I do I do my best to avoid the sections and headlines about things like celebrity culture and royal news. But even I’ve noticed the blatant witch-hunt. It’s glaring and not subtle in any way. I don’t know why they media have a bee in their bonnet about the couple. But they are openly bullying them. And it’s disgusting.

I haven’t put any photos of myself onto the web for years now. This is done quite purposefully. Because there are companies out there like Clearview AI who scoop up hundreds of millions of images featuring peoples faces and analyse them and do creepy things. The web has gotten so bad that just putting a photo of yourself onto your Twitter feed will guarantee your privacy is invaded. I mean, by uploading a photo you’re of course implicitly losing some privacy in the the respect that any person with an internet connection would potentially see it. But a person. Not a machine. I’m okay with people seeing my photo and judging it. But I’m not okay with machines seeing my photo and judging it. I’m uncomfortable enough with the fact that Apple analyses my photo library for faces and objects. But the last thing I need is some company who offer facial recognition tools to the police to be doing the same thing.

A Trip to Windsor Castle

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 15:06:21 -0000

I visited Windsor Castle ° yesterday. It was surprisingly good.

Firstly, I shocked by the weapons and armour on display. I was expecting lots of stately rooms and paintings, but the sheer amount of guns and swords took me by surprise (a very welcome surprise though).

Secondly I liked how it was a ‘working’ castle. It didn’t feel like a museum. There was administrative staff knocking about, and The Queen actually spends time here – it’s one of her actual homes. And it was nice wondering around a room knowing that in a few days time the Queen could actually be sitting on that chair drinking a cup of tea. It gave me a closeness to her that I haven’t experienced before.

And because the Queen spends time there it’s important that it doesn’t feel like a museum to her. So there was a real lack of protective casing and descriptive placards, which I loved. Again, it made it feel like an actual living castle, rather that a tribute.

And it was just overall very beautiful. The splendour of it all was expected, but still surprising in the flesh. Everything was intricate and stunning.

Tickets cost £25 per person and I would say that that’s a fair value. I would go again.

More pictures below…

Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 13:54:21 -0000

I’m drinking coffee in bed. The rain is pouring down outside, as Storm Eunice ° gives out its death rattle. And I’m watching Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

I have an interesting relationship with it. When I saw it in the cinema for the first time I’d heard it was fantastic, so went in with very high hopes, and found it pretty awful. Just dull and mostly confusing.

But then a year or so later when I rewatched it at home, I found it rather fantastic. Totally engaging and well put together. A thoughtful masterpiece.

But then the next time I rewatched it I found it a bit slow and ponderous again, so gave up watching it about half way through after getting distracted by something else.

And well right now I’m rewatching it again. And it’s flip-flopped back to being that masterpiece again. God it’s good.

And whatever you think of the it you have to appreciate it as a film, because they don’t often make them like this anymore.

It demands a decent amount from the audience – and doesn’t offer up details on a platter. And it’s just so very assured of itself. With every part of it confidently put together. It’s very ‘adult’.

Also, side note, I feel like you can get a good gauge of how well-made a film is by the quality of its photoshopping of photos of characters when they were meant to be younger (or ideally no photoshop at all and an actual recreation instead). And Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy does it well:

8.5/10

Friday, February 18th, 2022

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 14:50:29 -0000

‘The Dubai debt trap’ – The Economist °. On Dubai’s terrible judicial and prison system (long read, but worth it).

‘Book Review: Sadly, Porn’ – Astral Codex Ten °. I’m always glad for in-depth reviews of books that sound interesting, but too odd and/or dense for me to actually bother to read. Here, Scott Alexander sums up what sounds like a curious, sprawling mess of a book.

14:55: This morning has been one of those good ones. The caffeine in my coffee hit just right and I’ve actually had some focus. Not enough to write. Of course. Never enough focus to write. My ADHD – or whatever I have – won’t allow that. But enough focus to actually sit at my desk solidly and read lots of articles, and mostly without the temptation to open up new tabs and wander elsewhere on the web ‘for a break’.

Outside, Storm Eunice is raging – yesterday we had Storm Dudley, a hilarious name for a storm. And there’s also builders in the house right now. When there’s workfolk inside I always turn the heating off to give them a more comfortable work environment. Partly for selfish reasons of course. If they’re comfortable they’ll do better work I believe, and not cut corners.

But the downside of the lack of heating and the also fact that my desk is posted right next to a leaky window – which is currently letting in 8% of Storm Eunice – is that I’m a tad cold. But I daren’t relocate. The moment I get up I’ll lose my focus and won’t be able to get it back. I’m even putting off going to the toilet. Though that’s only partly to keep said focus, as it’s mostly partly to avoid coming across said said workfolk. Reading continues. Though I should probably eat soon. Lunch is likely mackerel and rice with some peas.

Damn mackerel is good. One of the few fish that I find eating isn’t an active challenge. Like all fish though I never know quite what to pair it with, carb wise. I hate new potatoes. Rice is not my favourite thing. Pasta is okay I suppose. Tuna and pasta with a drizzle of olive oil on top is a beautifully simple and tasty dish and a staple of my summer diet. Though I vaguely remember having mackerel with pasta and find it merely okay. Anyway, today I’m pairing it with egg fried rice (packet, of course, cooking rice scares me) and peas.

I’ve been trying extra hard these past few weeks to improve my diet, in the hope that it would help my M.E. And for some reason – maybe because they’re frozen – in my head peas aren’t as healthy as things like broccoli. But looking at the nutrition label the other day I realised I was wrong. Peas have an insane amount of protein and fibre in them (not sure about the vitamins). They’re also always on hand thanks to well, being frozen. And they’re also really easy to eat lots and lots of. And they also pair nicely with all sorts. I have them with chicken and chips, roast dinners and today, mackerel and rice. They’re a very versatile thing. I prefer the petis pois variety myself.

15:10: Is it lucky or unlucky to be a slow metaboliser of caffeine? Okay, actually there’s an easy answer: unlucky. The fast folk get an instant hit and a higher high. They also can then have another cup a few hours later for a similar result and all without it effecting their sleep too much.

The slow folk get a more stable, longer high, though it’s less euphoric. And they can also only really have one cup a day to avoid sleep issues. And it also has to be upon waking and even then it can effect their sleep negatively.

Honestly though, it’s worth figuring out if you’re a slow metaboliser of caffeine. And you don’t need to do a DNA test to work it out. It should be pretty obvious (though it might be complicated if you’ve been a imbiber of caffeine everyday for years). It won’t give an immediate and strong high, but a more gradual and lengthy one. And you’ll also struggle to get to sleep most nights.

I seriously believe that slow metabolisers having caffeine is an extremely underrated health crises that causes a lot of problems to millions of people.

They have a two cups of coffee a day, so can’t sleep and only get 6 hours of (REM disturbed) rest. When they wake up they’re tired. So they have coffee. Rinse and repeat. After a week or so of this they’re a wreck. But people continue this for years.

I regularly take breaks from caffeine to avoid this issue. I treat caffeine like the drug it is. And I consume it with its side effects in mind. If you happen to be a slow metaboliser you should do the same. Treat it like alcohol. Just as booze messes up your sleep, so does caffeine. And it’s not something you should be drinking every day.

‘The Healing Power of JavaScript’ – Craig Mod, Wired °.

'Evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer busts myths about how humans burn calories—and why' -->

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 13:14:37 -0000

According to the evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer the amount of calories a human burns each day is very similar, with low activity Europeans and Americans burning just as many calories per day as African hunter-gatherers who walk 14 km a day.

How is that possible? Science.org °:

Pontzer thinks hunter-gatherers’ bodies adjust for more activity by spending fewer calories on other unseen tasks, such as inflammation and stress responses. “Instead of increasing the calories burned per day, the Hadza’s physical activity was changing the way they spend their calories,” he says.

Also, humans burn a hell of a lot of calories compared to apes:

Subsequent doubly labeled water studies of apes in captivity and in sanctuaries shattered the consensus view that mammals all have similar metabolic rates when adjusted for body mass. Among great apes, humans are the outlier. When adjusted for body mass, we burn 20% more energy per day than chimps and bonobos, 40% more than gorillas, and 60% more than orangutans, Pontzer and colleagues reported in Nature in 2016.

Why? Mostly, it’s our big brains:

But humans have an added energy expense: our big brains, which account for 20% of our energy use per day.

He also confirms something that’s very important to know if you’re currently trying to lose weight. And that’s that exercise doesn’t really help you lose weight:

Pontzer’s findings have a discouraging implication for people wanting to lose weight. “You can’t exercise your way out of obesity,” says evolutionary physiologist John Speakman of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “It’s one of those zombie ideas that refuses to die.” Already the research is influencing dietary guidelines for nutrition and weight loss. The U.K. National Food Strategy, for example, notes that “you can’t outrun a bad diet.”

Fascinating stuff. Read the whole article °.

Permalink: https://blot.blog/2022/evolutionary-anthropologist-herman-pontzer-busts-myths-about-how-humans-burn-calories-and-why/

The Chronicles of the Rings

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 17:34:23 -0000

(.mp4 copy of trailer)

Well the trailer for the new Amazon Lord of the Rings TV show is out. And it doesn’t look promising.

It suffers from the same visual flatness that so many modern superhero and fantasty productions suffer from. There’s just no texture at all to the image. It’s just not a good look. Superhero can often get away with it. But fantasty, not so much. And the lighting always makes the costumes look cheap.

I think this reddit user ° sums it up nicely:

…looks like a bad Chronicles of Narnia movie.

And let’s talk about the costumes, hair and makeup in the trailer. They do not look great. Once again, too clean. Nothing looks lived in. All the hair looks like it’s a wig. Costumes are stiff, dry cleaned and lacking character.

Overall, I’m not too hopeful for the show. But you never know. I thought the Witcher looked like garbage based on its trailer and production photos but that turned out… okayish.

Here’s the only three good shots from the trailer:

Pencil drawing or satellite image?

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 15:14:08 -0000

The image above was featured in an article in the Economist ° about Russia’s military build up on the border with Ukraine.

It’s a satellite image of troop movement. But I swear all my eyes see is a slightly abstract pencil drawing. Just me?

One third of all Swiss exports are drugs

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 14:55:28 -0000

The Swiss are going to vote soon on wether to implement a total ban on animal testing.

But one thing I didn’t realise was that drugs are such a large part of their economy. The Economist (article came from their World in Brief section, so doesn’t have a permalink, so for posterities sake I’ve just screenshotted the relevant section):

That might damage its pharmaceutical industry, which accounts for more than a third of the country’s exports.

Wealth is money you don't spend -->

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 13:21:00 -0000

Morgan Housel ° on lifestyle inflation:

Three points stick out here.

Wealth is what you don’t spend, which makes it invisible and hard to learn about by observing other people’s lives. Spending is contagious; wealth is mysterious.

Money is often a negative art. What you don’t do can be more important than what you actively do.

Everything has a price, and prices aren’t always clear. The price of exercise isn’t just the workout; it’s avoiding the post-workout urge to eat a ton of food. Same in finance. The price of building wealth isn’t just the trouble of earning money or dealing; it’s avoiding the post-income urge to spend what you’ve accumulated.

Morgan Housel’s blog is one of my absolute favourite finance blogs. In fact one my favourite blogs in general. You should subscribe to it and also probably read his book “The Psychology of Money”.

Permalink: https://blot.blog/2022/02/13/wealth-is-money-you-dont-spend/

WordPress -> Hugo part 2

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 13:09:27 -0000

Well, after moving my tech blog to Hugo the other day I’ve now done the same here.

With blot.blog being a tumblelog/microblog type thing I wasn’t initially planning on the switch. Firstly as good Hugo is, there is just more friction when it comes to quick posting - for the most part.

Secondly, there’s just a lot more manual inputs needed. You have to create a text file for each post, enter metadata and attatching images in some ways is more cumbersome (especially if you need multiple sizes).

But the big reason I didn’t plan on switching to Hugo is that the home page of every single Hugo blog I’ve ever been on has only had the text preview/summary of each post and you have to click ‘read more…’ or something like that to see things like images and videos. It’s so rife that I just presumed it was a limitation of Hugo itself. But apparently not! You can set Hugo up to show the entirety of a post. So after I discovered that I thought maybe I could make the switch.

Publishing to the blog whilst on a phone is tough - maybe even impossible on a phone. And there might be some way of doing it, but I haven’t even bothered to look into it as it’s so rare for me to write away from my computer that it’s not a problem that will get in my way.

And as each Hugo post is just a text file actual, writing is nice and easy as compared to WordPress where you had to use their fairly ugly web interface. So whilst I can’t publish away from my computer, if want to write on my iPad or something I can just open up all my posts in my text editor of choice and away I go.

Overall though I’m pleased I switched. For now anyway.

I once ran my tech blog on Jekyll which was a bit of disaster. I mean it worked for a bit. But then I think I ran into issues with Ruby or something and I couldn’t even build blog locally. Hugo seems a bit less likely to break and far more simple in comparison.

The thing is though, will Hugo be around in a decade? Maybe. But WordPress certainly will. How it’s run seems sustainable and I think it’s so universal that it will exist in some form for many decades.

Okay, maybe I have made a mistake switching… :|

Stealing the word "Freedom"

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Isn’t it interesting how fascists always steal the word “freedom”?

I think about this line from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) a lot for some reason.

See at the moment the Freedom Convoy.

WordPress --> Hugo

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Last night I moved my tech blog from WordPress to Hugo.

Everything went swimmingly (I think) aside from the RSS feed.

The old one was /feed/ but the new one is now index.xml. And finding a way for /feed/ to still work - or at least redirect to the new feed - was a pain and less simple than I thought it was going to be.

But I think I got there in the end and everything should be forwarding okay now I hope.

The blog is now also hosted on Amazon S3.

Caffeine, late nights and book introductions

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

It’s late. But I made the fatal mistake of having two sources of caffeine today and I can’t get to sleep.

Well, it’s not even that I can’t to sleep. I haven’t even attempted to get to sleep. Because I can just feel that my brain is too caffeinated right now, so I haven’t even bothered trying.

I tell you what though, caffeine is wasted on me in the morning. I mean it does it’s job. Gives me a ritual, perks me up, makes me go to the toilet - the usual suspects.

But it doesn’t seem to make me much more productive really. That’s because I’m at my most productive in the middle of the night. Mornings are for waking up, not actually getting stuff done.

So caffeine would be a really handy tool to have in those midnight hours when I get writing, reading and jobs around the house done. It would sharpen me nicely and give me a boost.

But sadly I’m both very sensitive to caffeine and often find it difficult to get to sleep. So an evening coffee would be a total disaster.

Anyway, I’ve just started a new book (Making Darkness Light: The Lives and Times of John Milton by Joe Moshenska). And its first chapter is an introduction chapter - as you might expect.

And it’s not fun to read at all. I mean, it’s a perfectly okay introduction. But few things make me want to abandon a new book than their introduction.

Sometimes they are wonderful and make me ravenous to read the rest of the book. But mostly they just make me feel like I’m reading an essay.

So, I plan to skip the chapter. And that’s okay. One thing I’ve really started to embrace in recent years is skipping certain paragraphs, pages and chapters of books.

It’s freeing and useful. And I’m no longer religious about reading every single word. If it’s boring I just move on. It doesn’t mean the book is bad. Just that this bit isn’t for me.

And you know what? By skipping those sections it makes me less likely to abandon the book.

Try doing the same yourself (though bare in mind it’s much harder with digital books in my experience).

Good night.

Posted on my phone. Please excuse any grammatical or spelling errors.

Feminine exclamation

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Maybe it’s just me, but when I read say a reddit comment or an email the more exclamation points the person has used the more likely I am to think it’s a woman who has written it.

I don’t know why! Maybe it’s just that the women of my life happen to use them a lot and now I associate exclamation points with ladies.

But it wouldn’t surprise me if women do actually use them more than men.

When replying to a text a man seems more likely to say: “Ah, I understand.”

Whereas a woman might say: “Ah, I understand!”

But again, maybe it’s just in my head and I’m projecting.

Review: The Last Dance

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Television: The Last Dance (2020). Bloody hell is this good. I watched it when I first came out, so this is a rewatch, but it was even more phenomenal this time around. I seriously loved it.

Do I like basketball? No! But this documentary about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had me enthralled from beginning to end.

Its editing - which bounces between various periods - is a little jarring at first. But you get used to it, and it’s actually masterful. Because by not being restrained by a chronological order allows the editor to totally manipulate the flow of the story. Which results in every single episode having spectacular moments. The Last Dance is ten episodes long and most definitely worth your time. It’s on Netlix. You should watch it. 9/10

Review: The Power of the Dog (2021)

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Movie: The Power of the Dog (2021). I hate westerns. But luckily this isn’t your typical one. Firstly, it’s shot in New Zealand which gives it a different feel and look - and there’s some stunning scenery shots. Secondly, there’s not a single gun fight. In fact, I’m not sure I even saw a gun in the entire film. So no, this isn’t your typical western. This is a story about masculinity, isolation and secrets - that happens to have a western backdrop.

It’s a tad slow in parts - though mostly engaging throughout. But while you spend a lot of time with the characters, they all still felt quite distant to me come the end. I never really got to know them, somehow. They remained mostly just outlines to me. Though maybe that’s the point.

All in all though, this is a good film. All of the performances are subtle and beautifully pained. And I reckon it might benefit from a second viewing, and my rating may go up after that. 7/10 (very close to being 4/5 though)

Some links

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

‘The Cluttered Web: A Scrapbook of Sreenshots’. A collection of website pop-ups. Nothing’s changed since I wrote this five years ago. And I still don’t understand why pop-ups are so prevalent. Big sites I kind of understand. I’m sure they’ve worked out that it increases engagement or something and they make more money in the long run. But I also see newsletter pop-ups on small blogs and sites. They don’t have marketing people insisting on its implementation. And they’re a human being who browses the web and I’m sure comes across pop-ups on other sites. Do they not find them annoying?! How on earth do they come across them and then think “yhep, I want that nonsense on my site too.”

‘On Why I’m Quitting Alcohol’.

The Bafta nominations are out.

‘The BBC Quietly Censors Its Own Archives’. Not sure how I feel about this one.

Attempting yoga for the first time

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve been dealing with M.E (or chronic fatigue syndrome) for the past six months (I got it after I had a virus of some sort - possibly COVID-19 - and my body just hasn’t been the same since). It’s a bloody nightmare. I have very little energy and even minor tasks make me crash right after and any physical activity at all gives me muscle aches. So exercise has been totally off the cards for the last six months.

So in an attempt to do something I thought I’d try yoga for the first time, in the hope that it’s gentle enough to play nicely with my M.E. I got up this video and gave it a go.

And well, it was far less gentle than I was expecting. God it’s hard. The lady in the video looked graceful and calm in all her poses as she talked about focusing on ’tucking the navel into the spine’ and deep breathing. Whereas I was fighting for my life to just hold the pose at all.

And talking of my dodgy body. I have an anterior pelvic tilt. This tightens my hamstrings and makes any stretch which involves them difficult and a tad painful. And when I do stretch my hamstrings in any way my sciatic nerve plays up and for the next few days sitting down becomes uncomfortable. And by the looks of it in yoga you do quite a few poses which engage the hamstrings. So that’s a bummer.

All in all, by minute fifteen of the thirty minute video my…

Glasses had fallen off.
Foot had a carpet burn (I can see now why yoga-folk have those mats).
Neck was hurting, as it was difficult to both do a pose and watch the video.
Hamstrings were as tight as a banjo string.
Arse was hurting thanks to sciatica.
Hands and wrists were hurting (delicate wrists/hands are yet another affliction I have).
M.E. was flaring up as it turns out yoga is actually quite physically demanding.

I had to throw in the towel in the end. What a failure.

Yoga is brand new to me, so I’ll give it time and a few more goes (perhaps skipping or limiting the poses which really engage the hamstrings though). And who knows, if done with good form and more gently to accommodate my M.E., some of my body imbalances might actually improve.

Review: The Alpinist (2021)

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Movie: The Alpinist (2021). This is a film about a climber. And if you liked Free Solo you’re also going to also love this one. It technically isn’t as good a film and simply doesn’t have enough footage to tell the story. But it has just as many great moments and if you liked the scary hanging-off-the-side-of-a-mountain-one-handed shots of Free Solo then there’s even more to savour and get scared by here. Seriously, some of the climbing bits are insane. This is a top-notch documentary and very much worth your time. 4/5

Some links

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

‘If everyone were vegan, only a quarter of current farmland would be needed… Even a diet avoiding only meat from cattle and sheep would cut land use in half.’ This chart showing land use for various food is interesting. Cheese needs three times the amount of land of pig meat.

When streaming services release big blockbusters or the latest season of a TV hit they get lots of new subscribers. But half are gone six months later. And it hits streamers with smaller libraries harder (HBO Max, Apple TV+, Disney+).

‘Inflation Mac ’n’ Cheese’. I like this cartoon in the New Yorker. There’s something about the overly polished and nicely coloured look of most newspaper cartoons that puts me off. Whereas this one was clearly done by pencil, and I like the charm of that.

CloudFront's first 1TB of bandwidth is free

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

I didn’t realise that AWS CloudFront now gives customers the first 1TB of out-bound bandwidth for free each month. That’s kind of a big deal. I wonder what competitor motivated them to do that? Cloudflare perhaps? (Cloudflare’s free package was and continues to be an insanely good deal in comparison to AWS).

AWS’s high-priced bandwidth has always been one of its biggest downsides. So that initial 1TB now being free is very handy for people like me who use CloudFront for small-scale projects and personal blogs.

Some links

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

‘2,000-Year-Old Roman Bowl Discovered Intact in the Netherlands’

’The Quiet Joys of the Very, Very Early Morning Club’. I - like the author - am often at my most productive at 4am. But in my case it’s the end of my day, not the beginning. But there is something magically quiet about the middle of the night. It’s an entirely different world.

Anthony Bourdain would post on reddit sometimes. Mostly on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu subreddit. In the link Rolling Stone has compiled some his better comments. Man do I miss that man.

‘Bradley Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch and the Golden Age of Nude Men’. I didn’t realise there’s such a thing as an ‘intimacy coordinator’ who helps arrange nude scenes. Another fun fact: there’s sometimes a contract signed which says that nude out-takes will eventually be deleted.

‘The Web in 2036: Predictions on a Whim’. I read this article thinking ‘why on earth is this person making predictions for a date so far away?!’ Then I realised that 2036 is just 14 years away!

Today's lunch

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Beyond Meat burger patty in a brioche bun. Chips and tomato on the side.

By the way, the longest, biggest battle of my life has been convincing myself not to have burger and chips for dinner every single night of the week (with copious amounts of beer and whisky for dessert). It’s a battle I often lose.

Also, here’s how to make quick chips:

Cut 220g potatoes (I used maris piper) into chunks.
Pre-heat oven to 250°C (480°F).
Put into a container and cook in microwave for 6 minutes or so (add 5 minutes if cooking double portions for more than one).
Empty chips onto a baking tray and shake vigorously to scuff up as best you can (I skipped this stage today).
Add the oil of your choice then season to taste (I used salt, pepper, paprika and thyme).
Put in oven until crisped up nicely. Usually around 12 minutes.

1994 Instagram

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

This guy only uploads photos to his Instagram that he’s taken with the world’s first digital camera from 1994. Pretty cool.

Websites seem to have a different sort of downtime nowadays

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Websites seem to have a different sort of downtime nowadays. Gone are the days when a site was down for hours at a time - thankfully. But in its stead they now experience what I call a ‘microdowntime’.

I go to a website and am greeted by some sort of outage error page. But when I refresh the same page a mere second or two later it loads fine.

I don’t know why this happens, but I experience it often. Maybe it happens just because modern websites are complicated things, often powered by a plethora of AWS products, and it just takes one error in that chain to make the whole thing fail?

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

I’m watching Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). In it a character is playing Second Life. But of course he’s not actually playing it and the production crew are just playing a video capture of the game on the laptop (that’s how it works in the movies, folks). But it would be far easier to believe the character was actually playing the game if the production crew didn’t leave up the play/pause controls on the computer!

Side note: I feel like there was a period of a few years between maybe 2008-2012 when Alienware went really heavy on the product placement and their lit-up computers were in every film that needed a non-Mac laptop. But hey, maybe it worked, as I bought one when I was in the market for a Windows laptop - right after watching the Alienware-heavy Die Hard 4. It had a 12 inch god awful screen and was remarkably slow for a ‘gaming’ laptop. But hey, it looked cool and every part of it lit up red, so my silly younger self bought it.

Also, Hot Tub Time Machine is great, dumb fun. Worth a drunken watch for sure. 3.5/5

How To with John Wilson (Season 2)

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Television: How To with John Wilson (Season 2). This is the most unique reality show out there right now. A man wanders around New York - and sometimes the world - with his camera and captures all sorts of weird and wonderful people and things whilst delivering a hilariously dry (though sometimes annoyingly stuttering) voice over. Season two isn’t quite as good as the first season, but it’s still a joyously weird visual stroll. You’ll either love it or hate, but either way give it a go. 8/10 (Note: sadly it’s currently unavailable to watch in the UK legally)

I only want TV shows that have ended, and ended well

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

I would love a website which only shows you well-received TV shows that have now ended (but weren’t cancelled). I really hate starting shows which won’t finish for four years. Or that might be cancelled early. Or that goes to crap after the first two seasons. Television shows can be a big time commitment (compared to films) and life is too short for a bad one or one that ends badly.

So I just want a service that sends me an email saying: “Hey Elliot, Succession’s final episode aired yesterday. The show wasn’t cancelled early and every season was rated 80%+ on Rotten Tomatoes.”

The North Water (Season 1)

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Television: The North Water (Season 1). Maybe I just missed it when it was being released, but I hadn’t heard a peep about this TV show until I stumbled upon it by chance. Basic plot: a doctor, played by Jack O’Connell, goes on a whaling expedition. Then stuff happens.

I’m not a big fan of Jack O’Connell as I find he often overacts, but in this he is more restrained and performs very well. However, the star of the show is a plump and menacing Colin Farrell. He is utterly terrifying and one of the best TV villains I’ve seen in years. And he’s actually slightly underused in the show, with his masterful performance being slightly wasted as other satellite characters take up screen time that probably should have been dedicated to him.

Either way, The North Water is worth your time. It’s only five episodes and probably could have done with another episode in the middle to flesh out the story and characters more. And to be honest the season does have some disjointed elements and its landing isn’t quite as good as its takeoff, but again it is still worth a watch. Also, be aware that in my view the first episode is perhaps its weakest one in the season so if it doesn’t grab you right away at least give episode two a go before jumping ship. 7/10

(Also, if you enjoy it be sure to check out The Terror (Season 1), as it has similar vibes and is also the superior of the two shows.)

Brandon Taylor's Substack

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve finally found a Substack newsletter I like. It’s by the author Brandon Taylor, who I’ve never heard of, let alone read any of his books (though perhaps I should if I like his newsletter). But it’s very good. Personal and well written. It’s just about his life and what’s on his mind. Check it out. (Found via Nilanjana Roy – Financial Times)

Note: One of the reasons I’m not huge on newsletters is that they are delivered to my email inbox. And my inbox is full of misery and despair and as far as I’m concerned nothing I like or love should ever find its way inside of it. If you feel the same you should know that every Substack newsletter has its own RSS feed. Just add /feed to the end of any Substack and add it to your feed reader of choice.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Movie: Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). Maybe I’m not the target audience - being neither young nor a huge fan of the original - but I found this just… okay, at best. And I was expecting so much more after hearing it was so very good and that it was directed by Jason Reitman. 4/10

The French Dispatch (2021)

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Movie: The French Dispatch (2021). Wes Anderson movies tend to leave me a little cold - and the only film of his I’ve ever really liked is The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - and this one was no different. It’s stunning looking and I really enjoyed the first third, but the rest I didn’t connect with at all. 5/10

The Watch (2012)

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Movie: The Watch (2012). Rewatch. The premise is good and there are a few giggles here and there. But overall the script just isn’t good enough. It’s fun watching an out-of-place Richard Ayoade in a big Hollywood film though. 4/10

14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Movie: 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021). (Trailer). There’s a good story here, but sadly there simply isn’t enough footage to tell it properly and the film suffers as a result. This is a mountaineering documentary, but there isn’t enough actual shots of the mountaineering. You can get only get so far with a voice-over and footage of base camp. Also - like many climbing folk - the main guy has a god complex which make it a little cringy to watch at times. 5/10

Black Knight (2001)

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

Movie: Black Knight (2001). Rewatch. A childhood favourite. But yeah… this isn’t that great with adult eyes. 4/10

The Economists 'daily briefing'

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

I’m not really a big reader of general news. But the Economists ‘daily briefing‘ I never fail to read every morning. It’s top-notch and a good, quick way to see some of the headlines of the day. Worth your time.

Random webpages #1

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

"And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn on evil.

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0000

“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

– Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in “The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956”

"Plotting over brandy." Terry Pratchett on evil.

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0000

“It was much better to imagine men in some smoky room somewhere, made mad and cynical by privilege and power, plotting over the brandy. You had to cling to this sort of image, because if you didn’t then you might have to face the fact that bad things happened because ordinary people, the kind who brushed the dog and told their children bedtime stories, were capable of then going out and doing horrible things to other ordinary people. It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleak depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone’s fault. If it was Us, what did that make Me? After all, I’m one of Us. I must be. I’ve certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No-one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We’re always one of Us. It’s Them that do the bad things.”

– Terry Pratchett in “Jingo”

Confident and proud? Or arrogant?

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0000

I rather like Derek Sivers. He’s an interesting guy with interesting ideas. And I still fondly remember his appearance on the Tim Ferris podcast back in 2015. And he has a new book out, which I’m sure is very good. But this is how he presents it on his website [c]:

I’m sure it’s just my English sensibilities, but the arrogance and confidence required to offer it up that way couldn’t make me want to read it any less. But hey, I applaud his confidence. He’s clearly happy with how it came out!

The Mandrake Plant

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0000

So apparently the mandrake plant from Harry Potter is an actual plant. And also that just like in Harry Potter people of old would cover their ears when around them (see illustration above) for fear of condemned to hell:

In one superstition, people who pull up this root will be condemned to hell, and the mandrake root would scream and cry as it was pulled from the ground, killing anyone who heard it. Therefore, in the past, people have tied the roots to the bodies of animals and then used these animals to pull the roots from the soil. —Wikipedia citing John Gerard (1597). “Herball, Generall Historie of Plants”. Claude Moore Health Sciences Library. Archived from the original on 2012-09-01.

(via Chris Aldrich)

Friday, September 17th, 2021

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

‘Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from’. /r/LifeProTips.

‘3,100… people died of COVID-19 in America on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The tally was higher than the death toll from the devastating terror attacks.’ The Economist [c].

One of the best and underrated things about the Roku streaming devices is their volume leveling mode. It’s extremely useful for content with a large contrast between sound effects and dialogue. Or for just when the sound for whatever reason is too low. My Dad couldn’t imagine watching television without it now.

And talking of Roku, it amazes me that you can get a 55" 4K TV for £400 [c].

Remember Clubhouse? Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like its 15 minutes is over and I barely hear it mentioned anymore. And it seems like Twitter Spaces has been fairly successful in replicating Clubhouse.

‘Oh. So. Pro.’ One of the worst Apple product bylines ever?

In 1841 Charles Mackay published the classic, original book on stock market bubbles and the psychology behind them with “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds”.

And yet several years later he still lost a fortune speculating during the Railway Mania bubble.

Rolling Stone magazines new list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time is so bad it’s actually funny. I mean if you ignore pretty much any song on the list from the last 20 years or so it’s actually pretty darn good. But much of the modern additions feel extremely forced. And if you click play to hear the 30 second preview of each song god does the modern dross stick out like a sore thumb alongside some of the classics from the 60s/70s.

‘‘Historic moment’: UK beef heads to US for first time in 20 years’. Farming UK [c]. I didn’t realise that British beef hasn’t been exported to the USA ever since the mad cow disease outbreak in the 1990’s.

Today I discovered the YouTuber LEMMiNO. He makes outstanding YouTube documentaries. Using some tremendous animation and story telling he takes complicated events and explains them simply and engagingly. Honestly, check him out!

I genuinely want to know why so many websites have auto-playing mini videos when you visit. I mean the bandwidth costs alone to deliver a video to every single visitor must be huge?! But there must be some reason why they do it, right?

‘Inside the Studios’ (And Apple’s) Frenzy to Get Christopher Nolan’s Next Film’. The Hollywood Reporter [c].

The project is meant to be a smaller-scale feature film for Nolan, which in his case, meant a production budget of around $100 million and an equal marketing spend, according to sources. He asked for total creative control, 20 percent of first-dollar gross, and a blackout period from the studio wherein the company would not release another movie three weeks before or three weeks after his release. And he asked for what insiders say was around a 100-day theatrical window. (Some sources have said the number was 110 days, with one person saying it was 130 days.) These were, in fact, many of the conditions Nolan was accustomed to enjoying at Warners.

’ Battlefield 2042 joins recent game-delay frenzy, moves to November’. Ars Technica [c]. Noooo! Battlefield 1 is one of my favourite games of all time and I recently purchased a PlayStation 5 almost solely to try out the latest Battlefeld installment. Oh well, I’ll just have to wait a bit longer and continue to stare at my unopened PS5 in the corner of my room. :|

Photos of Americans and their pets from 125 years ago

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

All of these fantastic images were taken by Charles Milton Bell and come via the Library of Congress.

Barber [Child and Dog]. Charles Milton Bell. 1905

Mrs Coolidge. Charles Milton Bell. 1905.

A.C. Caine. Charles Milton Bell. 1905.

Marmaduke, M. Charles Milton Bell. 1894. Two more photos.

Albert Stone children. Charles Milton Bell. 1873.

Mrs. J.C.G. Kennedy. Charles Milton Bell. 1891.

Roland Barber. Charles Milton Bell. 1894

Mrs. A.L. Barber. Charles Milton Bell. 1894.

L.O. Howard. Charles Milton Bell. 1894

Karrick boys. Charles Milton Bell. 1894.

Mrs Henderson. Charles Milton Bell. 1891.

Mrs. Ogram [& dog]. Charles Milton Bell. 1894.

Mrs. I.V. Dick. Charles Milton Bell. 1894.

N. Healey. Charles Milton Bell. 1901.

Wednesday, September 15th, 2021

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

I had no idea you can send documents and eBooks (!) to your Kindle via email. Why have I been plugging mine in all these years?!

‘Norm Macdonald, comedian and former SNL cast member, dies at 61.’ The Guardian [c]. He died of cancer.

’‘Why do they have to be brilliant?’ The problem of autism in the movies.’ The Guardian (Simon Hattenstone) [c].

'Going private: Increasing numbers of Britons are abandoning the NHS and paying for medical treatment'

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

inews.co.uk [c]:

As more people opt to fund their healthcare themselves, or take out private health insurance, there is a danger of creating a “two tier” system, with wealthier people paying for speedy tests and treatments and the less well-off being forced to wait.

My initial response to that paragraph was: that’s fine. Rich people still pay their National Insurance. So if they’re willing to go private it means the NHS has less of a workload and will work better for those who can’t afford to go private. However, apparently not so:

“By and large, private hospitals in the UK don’t have a fully separate workforce from the NHS,… [they] don’t tend to directly employ a separate set of doctors. They are [mostly] NHS doctors spending part of their time in private practice to supplement their income.

“Staff [numbers] are going to be a critical constraint on the NHS being able to treat more patients and get rid of this backlog. If they are spending more time practising in the private sector that might be taking away time from the NHS, which may have an impact on people who can’t afford to go private,” Mr Gardner added.

Franz Liszt by Henri Lehmann

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

This portrait of Franz Liszt by Henri Lehmann is fantastic. [Found via Lapham’s Quarterly]

You can own the 'speakers on wheels' rig from Mad Max: Fury Road!

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

The auction begins on Sunday, September 26, 2021. Bidding starts at $1 [c].

(Found via the Digital Bits [c])

Michael Chapman has died

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Michael Chapman died today at the age of 80.

He was a part of that tremendous English folk scene of the 60s/70s and was a great musician.

RIP Michael.

Here he is performing a wonderful version of “Among The Trees” [.mp4 copy]:

More

Announcement of death on his official Instagram page Michael Chapman: British folk musician dies aged 80 - The Guardian [c] Michael Chapman: the man who connects Elton, Bowie, Nick Drake and Sonic Youth - The Guardian [c]

[This post was originally a Tweet.]

'Instead'

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Seth Godin’s blog [c]:

A simple substitute might change a habit. Instead of a snack, brush your teeth. Instead of a nap, go for a walk. Instead of a nasty tweet or cutting remark, write it down in a private notebook. Instead of the elevator, take the stairs. Instead of doomscrolling, send someone a nice note. Instead of an angry email, make a phone call. Instead of a purchase seeking joy, consider a donation…

Eat, sleep and feel better

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Some interesting simple points in this video about how something as simple as food can have a massive impact on how you feel. Obvious I know. But when the title of a video is ‘How to become more rational and level headed’ you expect a lot more mumbo jumbo. But the truth is, sometimes low-hanging fruit like eating properly, paired with a good sleep routine can be enough to help you feel dramatically better. [.mp4 of video]

When to quit a bad book

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Taken from an article on Farnham Street, ‘How to Remember What You Read’ [c]:

Author and librarian Nancy Pearl advocates the “Rule of 50.” This entails reading the first 50 pages of a book and then deciding if it is worth finishing. The Rule of 50 has an interesting feature: once you are over the age of 50, subtract your age from 100 and read that many pages.

'Anti-Aging: State of the Art'

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Good introduction to anti-aging by JackH on LessWrong.com [c].

Notes/Highlights

There is an overemphasis on cryonics for life extension, rather than simply solving aging itself.

Today, there are over 130 longevity biotechnology companies and over 50 anti-aging drugs in clinical trials in humans [c].

… the highest rates of depression worldwide are among the elderly [c].

Interesting. I would not have guessed this. I’d always heard people get happier as they get older.

The difference between anti-aging and current medicine is the former prevents illness by targeting the hallmarks of aging, whereas the latter intervenes once a disease has emerged… The former extends unhealthy lifespan, whereas only the latter extends healthy lifespan.

Stanford University summarises (pdf) [c] four of the most promising approaches to slow or reverse aging in humans, based on studies in mice:

Parabiosis: putting the blood of young mice into older mice.
Metabolic manipulation: dietary restriction. Drugs like metformin and rapamycin are being considered and tested.
Senolytics: drugs that target and kill senescent cells, which are a kind of ‘zombie’-like cell that accumulate with age. Killing senescent cells with senolytics extends the median healthy lifespan by up to 27% in mice [c].
Cellular reprogramming: the conversion of old cells into ‘young’ cells.

Aging is essentially damage accumulation that occurs as a by-product of metabolism and causes the diseases that kill most people today. This damage comes in 9 forms, which are the hallmarks of aging. Many therapeutic strategies show great promise in extending healthy human lifespan by reversing the damage accumulated with aging. Four of the most promising strategies to extend lifespan in humans include parabiosis, metabolic manipulation, senolytics, and cellular reprogramming.

Off-shoot links

Cool links linked in the article.

/r/longevity Lifespan.io: a site dedicated to longevity. Greenland shark may live 400 years, smashing longevity record [c] - Science.org Geroscience and Biotech Venture Capital - Sebastian A. Brunemeier - YouTube

Effeminate looking men banned from Chinese television

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Today in crazy China news [c]:

The Chinese government has ordered a boycott of “sissy pants” celebrities as it escalates a fight against what it sees as a cultural import that threatens China’s national strength.

In a directive issued on Thursday, China’s TV watchdog said entertainment programs should firmly reject the “deformed aesthetics” of niangpao, a derogatory term that refers to effeminate men.

The order came as Beijing tightens control over the country’s entertainment industry, taking aim at an explosion of TV and streaming shows that hold increasing sway over pop culture and the youth.

Young, delicate-looking men who display gentle personalities and act in boys’ love dramas have amassed large fan bases mostly comprising women.

Another thing to note about China:

Explicitly homosexual characters are not allowed on Chinese TV, and no prominent mainland Chinese celebrity has come out as gay. Platforms have previously blurred male stars’ earrings and ponytails because of their ostensible association with rebellion and counterculture.

Found via Tyler Cowen (Marginal Revolution) [c].

People keep on using 'gaslighting' incorrectly

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

I feel like the term ‘gaslighting’ has gone from obscurity to mainstream in only a few years.

If you didn’t know, ‘gaslighting’ comes from the 1944 film “Gaslight” where “a husband who uses trickery to convince his wife that she is insane in order to steal from her.”

Essentially, if you gaslight someone you are trying to make them doubt their own version of events. And also at the same time make them doubt their own sanity.

It’s a good word to know. But, I feel like its true meaning has become lost as it has grown more popular and become something of a buzzword.

Essentially, too many people now say someone is gaslighting when in fact what they’re really doing is just good old-fashioned lying.

Take this paragraph from an article [c] in the Atlantic today:

For half a decade, Republicans—especially self-described moderate members of the party—have been gaslighting America on the issue of abortion rights, pretending they didn’t know that Donald Trump’s Supreme Court picks were always planning to overturn Roe.

Pretending you don’t know something is lying, not gaslighting!

Will you get a day off work when the Queen dies? Is it a bank holiday?

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve been wondering for a while now - for purely selfish reasons - if there will be any bank holidays when the Queen dies.

Well, Politico has gained access [c] to documents which lay out the entire plan for what will happen after her death.

So, will you get a day off work? The answer is maybe:

The prime minister and the queen have agreed that the day of the state funeral will be a “Day of National Mourning.” This has also led to planning issues. The day will effectively be a bank holiday, although it will not be named as such. If the funeral falls on the weekend or an existing bank holiday, an extra bank holiday will not be granted. If the funeral falls on a weekday, the government does not plan to order employers to give employees the day off — the documents say that is a matter between employees and their staff

Simply put, if you work for a decent company they’ll probably give you the day off. If you work for a crap company, then don’t hold your breath.

The actor who plays the Know-It-All kid in the Polar Express looks exactly how I'd expect him to look

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

His name is Eddie Deezen.

Cunningham's Law

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Ward Cunningham’s Wikipedia page:

Cunningham is credited with the idea: “The best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question; it’s to post the wrong answer.” This refers to the observation that people are quicker to correct a wrong answer than to answer a question.

Cunningham was the inventor of the wiki with his ‘WikiWikiWeb’, by the way.

Here’s a random interview [c] of him done by Dave Winer of Scripting.com. It’s a little basic and quite clearly recorded in a restaurant or bar after they’ve had a few beers. Still, might be worth your time.

Salman Rushdie's next novel will be serialised on Substack

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0000

The Guardian [c]:

It will be a digital experiment in serialising fiction (“the way [it] used to be published, right at the beginning”) with new sections coming out approximately once a week over the course of about a year, he says.

A surprising number of the classics were originally serialised: Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers is the best known example, but there is also Madame Bovary, War and Peace, and Heart of Darkness. Rushdie references the experience of Samuel Richardson, who serialised his novel Clarissa in 1748.

'China to Cleanse Online Content That ‘Bad-Mouths’ Its Economy'

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Bloomberg [c]:

China kicked off a two-month campaign to crack down on commercial platforms and social media accounts that post finance-related information that’s deemed harmful to its economy.

The initiative will focus on rectifying violations including those that “maliciously” bad-mouth China’s financial markets and falsely interpret domestic policies and economic data, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement late Friday. Those who republish foreign media reports or commentaries that falsely interpret domestic financial topics “without taking a stance or making a judgment” will also be targeted, it added.

The move is aimed at cultivating a “benign” online environment for public opinion that can facilitate “sustainable and healthy development” of China’s economy and its society, according to the statement. It followed a draft proposal issued earlier Friday by the cyberspace regulator to regulate algorithms that technology firms use to recommend videos and other content.

One of the reasons I’m keen on direct indexing becoming more mainstream is so I can take countries like China out of my pension investment portfolio. I do want the diversification of a ‘world index tracker’, but it would be nice to take dodgy countries like China out of the pot.

And it probably wouldn’t even cost me anything. I mean that’s half of the reason I want to take it out! Sure, morally I disagree with China. But I also think they simply won’t perform in the long run.

They haven’t done especially well over the past 10 years:

Oh and in other China news, ‘China Slashes Kids’ Gaming Time to Just Three Hours a Week’ [c]:

Gaming platforms from Tencent Holdings Ltd. to NetEase Inc. can henceforth only offer online gaming to minors from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, weekends and public holidays, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing a notice by the National Press and Publication Administration. The new rules, which limit teen playing time to three hours most weeks of the year, is a major step-up from a previous restriction set in 2019 of 1.5 hours per day, most days.

Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show explained. What can they film?

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Amazon Chronicles (Tim Carmody)°:

In his lifetime, J.R.R. Tolkien published two works of fantasy set in a section of the planet Arda called Middle-Earth: The Hobbit and then its multi-volume sequel The Lord of the Rings. While there are hints of other lands and ages in The Hobbit, it’s really in The Lord of the Rings that it’s decisively revealed that these stories take place at the end of the Third Age of Arda…

Over his life, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote and revised many stories about the First Age. These were collected and edited after his death by his son Christopher, and published in the books The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, Beren and Luthien, The Children of Húrin, The Fall of Gondolin, and others. It’s a rich and full mythology, and a television studio could take years to tell those stories.

Amazon has the rights to none of them. The Tolkien estate didn’t sell those. (And Amazon doesn’t have the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings-era stories either.)

What the Tolkien estate sold was the rights to the Second Age, but reportedly not the parts of those stories told in the books primarily about the First Age (the Silmarillion, etc.) At the same time, Amazon cannot contradict those stories either. Amazon’s series will have to be consistent with the Tolkien canon, while at the same time drawing on the vaguest, least detailed portion of it: genealogies, a few outlines of stories, and not much more.

'The Mormon Church Amassed $100 Billion. It Was the Best-Kept Secret in the Investment World.’

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

The Wall Street Journal [c]:

[Ensign Peak’s (The Mormon Church’s investment division)] assets did total roughly $80 billion to $100 billion as of last year, some of the former employees said. That is at least double the size of Harvard University’s endowment and as large as the size of SoftBank’s Vision Fund, the world’s largest tech-investment fund.

[…] Church officials acknowledged the size of the fund is a tightly held secret, which they said was because Ensign Peak depends on donations—known as tithing—from the church’s 16 million world-wide members.

[…] “We don’t know when the next 2008 is going to take place,”… “If something like that were to happen again, we won’t have to stop missionary work.”

During the last financial crisis, they didn’t touch the reserves Ensign Peak had amassed, church officials said. Instead, the church cut the budget.

[…] Whereas university endowments generally subsidize operating costs with investment income, Ensign Peak does the opposite. Annual donations from the church’s members more than covers the church’s budget. The surplus goes to Ensign Peak. Members of the religion must give 10% of their income each year to remain in good standing.

Dean Davies, another member of the ecclesiastical arm that oversees Ensign Peak, said the church doesn’t publicly share its assets because “these funds are sacred” and “we don’t flaunt them for public review and critique.”

Imagine being a Mormon. You’re not allowed to even drink coffee, and you’re required to give 10% of your income to the church. And then you find out your religion has an investment fund worth $100 billion. Although Mormonism has always been a joke of religion, so perhaps it’s fitting.

'UK truck driver shortage signals a broken labour market'

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Financial Times [c]:

In 2010, the median HGV driver in the UK earned 51 per cent more per hour than the median supermarket cashier. By 2020, the premium was only 27 per cent. They have faced a particular pay squeeze in the past five years: median hourly pay for truck drivers has risen 10 per cent since 2015 to £11.80, compared with 16 per cent for all UK employees. “Why would I want to be a truck driver, with all the responsibility, the long, unpredictable hours, if I can go to Aldi and earn £11.30 an hour stacking shelves?” says Tomasz Oryński.

[…] As a result, the workforce is ageing. In 2000, there was an even split between over-45s and under-45s. Now the over-45s account for 62 per cent.

Dickens house

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Something about this engraving of Charles Dickens’ house brings me peace. (via The Guardian)

Landlord Lloyds

Sat, 21 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

The Guardian:

It is already the UK’s largest mortgage lender, and now Lloyds Banking Group aims to become one of its biggest private landlords, with a target of buying 50,000 homes in the next 10 years.

Each year property prices seem to rise, wages seem to stagnate and now Britain moves closer and closer to modern feudalism. (Can you tell I’m trying to get on the property ladder right now?)

'Hospitality crisis deepens chef shortages'

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Financial Times [c]:

This week, more than 2,100 chef roles were posted within a five-mile radius of Soho alone.

'Ben Franklin’s bitter regret that he didn’t immunize his 4-year-old son against smallpox'

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Washington Post [c]:

Five weeks had passed since the death of Benjamin Franklin’s son, and rumors were swirling. Four-year-old Francis “Franky” Franklin had died after being inoculated for smallpox, the rumor went, and now his pro-inoculation father was trying to hide it.

The gossip reached such a point that on Dec. 30, 1736, the grieving father, then 30, confronted it in the pages of his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette.

“Inasmuch as some People are, by that [rumor] … deter’d from having that Operation perform’d on their Children,” he wrote, “I do hereby sincerely declare, that he was not inoculated, but receiv’d the Distemper in the common Way of Infection.”

It must have been hard to admit — Franklin had long advocated inoculation as a “safe and beneficial practice” — that his own son had gone unprotected.

“I intended to have my Child inoculated,” he explained, “as soon as he should have recovered sufficient Strength from a Flux [diarrhea] with which he had been long afflicted.”

More than five decades later, in his autobiography published posthumously, he said he had “long regretted bitterly, and still regret” that he had chosen to wait.

Choose an expert

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

“A frustration I have with the ‘vaccine hesitancy’ discussion is that 99% of people on both sides use the same process to come to their conclusion; find people you trust and listen to them.”
— Scott Huston (@genuine_doubt, August 9, 2021)

“If you got the right answer it’s either because you got lucky that the people you listen to happened to get this one right, or you’re good at figuring out who to trust. But being good at figuring out who to trust is a nebulous and difficult problem.”
— Scott Huston (@genuine_doubt, August 9, 2021)

“So, while I do think getting people vaccinated is critical and I’m frustrated by the current state of things, I don’t think it’s all that fair to criticize people who are running the same basic algorithm I am to figure out what’s true.”
— Scott Huston (@genuine_doubt, August 9, 2021)

I think about this quite a lot. I do my best to educate myself on subjects. But I’m no expert. At the end of the day all I’m doing is trusting an actual ’expert’ and hoping I chose wisely. (via Alexey Guzey)

By the way, as of yesterday, I am now double vaxxed :)

There's always some dude inexplicably loving it

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Afghanistan right now is being overrun by the Taliban. As they moved into the capital of Kabul locals were attempting to escape the country on various aeroplanes at the airport. As planes filled up and doors were closed, desperate people even began to hold onto the outside of the place to escape.

Anyway, I noticed in one of the videos that there were a few people almost having fun:

And it reminded me a bit of scenes from the Bradford City fire:

It seems that no matter how dire the situation, there’s always some dude who inexplicably enjoys the drama of it all.

Full video from Kabul here.

Just invest

Sat, 24 Jul 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Banker on Fire:

Remember: there’s never a time when the stock market looks like a good investment. Things are either “too scary” or “too good to be true”.

Transferring your hard-earned money out of your bank and into an investing account and then hitting that ‘buy’ button is always scary. Because there is always a reason to just stay in cash. But remember, the perfect time to invest simply doesn’t exist (without hindsight anyway). So simply understand your risk tolerance, choose the appropriate asset allocation, and just invest.

Watched – Week 5, 2021

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 00:00:00 -0000

[caption id=“attachment_792” align=“alignnone” width=“1920”] The Revenant (2015)[/caption]

Film

The Revenant (2015). Rewatch. The film that Leonardo DiCaprio finally cried in, thus winning him his first leading-man Oscar. Tom Hardy over-acts, as is tradition. But this is still excellent. Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is beautiful. I think it would’ve been improved with twenty minutes of the more art-house dream-like elements shaved off though. I was very impressed by Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter throughout. Their characters felt very real and fleshed out. 83%

Birdman (2014). Rewatch. After the Revenant I watched another film by Alejandro G. Iñárritu: Birdman. I remember being utterly wowed by this when I saw it in the cinema. It felt so lively and original. But with each subsequent rewatch my love for it has diminished. It’s so visually engaging on first viewing that you don’t notice the slightly thin plot. And there’s something pompous and over rehearsed about the film. It’s still great, but not the masterpiece I thought it was first time around. 79%

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). I love an Aaron Sorkin script. They’re usually full of wit and each line says something (if that makes sense). This is his first time directing and he does an admirable job. Courtroom dramas, believe it or not, are apparently extremely hard to shoot. And overall this is very good. There’s a few minor criticisms. Such as a slightly schmalzy score, the strange use of a modern song for one big scene when it was calling out for a 60s/70s banger, some of the characters coming dangerously close to caricatures and a mildly rushed ending that doesn’t fully land. But I’m nitpicking. This is one of the films of the year. It’s on Netflix, watch it. Oh also, Sacha Baron Cohen has been nominated for a ‘Best Supporting Actor’ Golden Globe for his performance in this. I’m surprised. He was okay, but his accent was rough and he was amateurish at times. The film has a huge, fantastic cast and all the performances are stellar. Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, Mark Rylance (always insanely good), Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and especially Yahya Abdul-Mateen II all put in better performances than Sacha Baron Cohen. I would have preferred one of them getting a nomination nod instead. 77%

Zombieland (2009). Rewatch, background. Another film I was wowed in the cinema by. This is endlessly watchable and fun. 74%

The Spy Who Fell to Earth (2019). I adore these spy documentaries. And this one is edited masterfully, with lots of zip and you it never lose track of what is going on. 74%

The Power of Netflix

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 00:00:00 -0000

The landing page of Netflix is one of the most powerful influencers of common culture on earth.

If a television or film is prominently displayed on that remarkable digital billboard it will quickly and swiftly enter the cultural zeitgeist.

It can literally drag years old and forgotten content and push it onto the world stage.

I noticed this recently in the UK with “The Fall”, a mildly popular BBC TV show that aired between 2013 and 2016.

Netflix purchased the rights, advertised it prominently on its landing page, and it quickly became extremely popular. It was trending on Twitter and people were talking about it in the same way “Game of Thrones” was talked about the day after a new episode aired.

And I spotted a similar occurrence yesterday. The 2004 film “Mean Girls” had just arrived on Netflix and it was main thing presented to me – and I’m sure many other people – when I logged in. Today? It is number one on Netflix UK.

If I was the director, scriptwriter or producer of a new movie that was being shopped around I would gladly take less money to be on Netflix than more money to be on say Amazon Prime Video. Simply because the chances of my work being seen, enjoyed and entering the public imagination is far higher on Netflix than anywhere else.

The Price of Whisky

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Last week the New York Times published a review [c] of a new book about the bourbon maker Pappy Van Winkle, whose bottles fetch eye-wateringly high sums in the whisky collecting world due to their high demand and limited supply (around $5,000 despite retailing for $120). The article, like nearly all New York Times book reviews, isn’t worth your time. Short, with a promising start that seems to end abruptly after 600 words (the NYT is certainly no London Review of Books). But the article did get me thinking about the price of whisky.

I like whisky. And unlike wine where I’ve never found much correlation between price and enjoyment with whisky there is usually a very linear rise in flavour with every extra pound you spend. And also unlike wine which uses nonsense like ‘terroir’ to justify high prices, the whisky world has age statements. A far simpler system. Though sadly bottlers are increasingly releasing non-age-statement bottles nowadays.

However in recent years I’ve started losing interest in buying decent whisky. Because it’s now just too expensive. Largely thanks to Diageo’s domination and near monopoly on the market. Quite simply the quality is going down while the price is rising.

But I did wonder if I was imaging these price increases. So I decided to look at the price of some whisky I purchased in 2015 (when prices were already too high) and look at the costs for the same bottles now. Here are the results (I haven’t included any companies owned by Diageo to give the whisky industry more of a chance, and there’s even a family owned one in Springbank):

Whisky	Price Change	% Increase
Balvenie 12 Year Old	£36 --> £44	(+22%)
Glenfarclas 15 Year Old	£45 --> £55	(+22%)
Glenlivet 12 Year Old	£30 --> £37	(+23%)
Springbank 15 Year Old	£53 --> £65	(+23%)
Springbank 10 Year Old	£37 --> £46	(+24%)
Aberfeldy 12 Year Old	£30 --> £38	(+27%)
Glendronach 15 Year Old	£48 --> £64	(+33%)

Not utterly damming, but for such a short period of time, those price jumps are high enough to notice. Inflation of the pound over this five-year period was around +13%. So whisky is handily beating inflation. Either way, pricey fancy whisky is no longer for me.

These days I have my favourite bar standards that I always have to hand and I just buy those, only when on offer: Johnnie Walker Black and Bulleit Bourbon. (Lagavulin 16-Year-Old used to be my more high-end choice, but that now retails for a silly £60, though you can often find it discounted at places like Costco.)

Watched – Week 4, 2021

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Still from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

Film

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). Rewatch. I tend to watch this every year. So when it snowed recently in England I thought it was time once again, as this film is very snowy and Swedish. My last two viewings I’ve connected with it slightly less the usual for some reason. And I wish the two main characters teamed up slightly earlier. Still it’s fantastic and my film of the week. 88%

A Star Is Born (2018). Rewatch. There’s tremendous music and Lady Gaga’s acting is actually okay. A remarkable first film from Bradley Cooper. I think it’s hard to dislike this. Everyone in my family enjoyed it. It’s just a smidgen too long. 85%

Three Identical Strangers (2018). You’ll read the synopsis and you think you know the story. You don’t. A fascinating documentary. 78%

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). Rewatch, background. This isn’t great, but there’s just enough fun to make it watchable. 53%

Television

Tiger. Rather than two 90 minute episodes I felt this deserved a full series run of five 60 minuters. I would have liked a bit more focus on his golf and a little bit less on his personal life. But on the whole, this is good. 72%

Bob’s Burgers (Season 11). In a world full of pain and suffering Bob’s Burgers is always a welcome tonic. It’s up there with “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Parks and Recreation” when it comes to comedy shows that aren’t always funny but that have a sickly sweetness that makes up for all that. Season 11 isn’t its strongest outing, but it’s still good. 69%

'How Many Microcovids Would You Spend on a Burrito?'

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Wired [c]:

Olsson thinks about risk for a living—she works for a Silicon Valley foundation on projects that seek to mitigate the potentially catastrophic effects of advanced AI—and is in the habit of assessing her daily life with data and models. A few years ago, after a close friend told her about a scare she’d had while cycling, Olsson decided to reevaluate her own bike commute. Was her life span more likely to be cut short by a fatal crash biking to work or by the increased chance of heart disease from sitting idly on the train? She was happier riding her bike than squeezing in with fellow passengers, but sometimes feelings need a fact check. She did the math and was pleased that it validated her choice to cycle.

Olsson had begun applying this approach to living with the new coronavirus. The task was far more comprehensive. Unlike the risk of a bike accident, the risks posed by the virus radiated off of everything, turning the littlest things—a burrito!—into a gamble. At first, managing those risks was easy, if unpleasant. When the pandemic arrived in March, lockdowns constrained life and therefore made decisions simple. It was all of us together, in the interest of keeping hospitals from becoming overrun. But then, gradually, the world reopened, and life got more confusing.

So she and her friends created microCOVID. It’s an amazing site. You enter a bunch of variables about the activity you want to do, and it will tell you how risky it is. I love stuff like this.

And be sure to read the whole Wired piece. It’s certainly my favourite article of the week.

Outlaws

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

I checked out the band the Outlaws today on the recommendation of my Dad. I’m only a few albums deep, but they’re pretty great so far. They’re country rock and fall somewhere between the Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd musically. The debut album “Outlaws” is a 8/10 powerhouse, ending with the nine minute monster “Green Grass & High Tides” (Spotify / YouTube) that towards the end of the song has some of the greatest guitar you’ll ever hear. Somehow they flew under my radar until now. Check them out. Worth your time.

Pay-as-You-Go Reading

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

I still can’t quite believe that there’s no way for me to quickly donate to an online publication once I get to the bottom of an article.

I’ve wanted something like this for years now and I even feel like I’ve talked about it multiple times. Because I hate subscriptions you see. They’re usually overpriced for how much value I get out of them, and they’re nearly always impossible to cancel.

I just want a little icon at the bottom of each and every New Yorker article, for example, that I can tap and then donate some small amount of money.

It would have to be quick and easy. But services like Apple Pay and Stripe make that simple enough.

Someone please make such a thing.

(Though maybe people have tried in the past and just worked out that it’s not viable. Flattr has almost exactly this idea. And whilst they’re still technically still going, only a small number of websites support them).

The Man Who Invited the World Over for Dinner

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

BBC News [c]:

Jim Haynes was both an icon and a relic of the Swinging Sixties, an American in Paris who was famous for inviting hundreds of thousands of strangers to dinner at his home. He died this month.

[…] During the 1990s, the crowds started to dwindle at the Paris dinners, as the original hippy crowd aged. But then a new wave of younger visitors started to get in touch. The bloggers had discovered him.

[…] He explained that, in the late 1980s, he had founded a guidebook series for countries behind the Iron Curtain. Instead of the standard descriptions of sights and hotel listings, the format was like an address book, including the contact details for hundreds of in-country hosts. The idea was that if people could not easily see the Western world themselves, he would bring it to them via travellers. It was “couchsurfing”, but offline.

Interesting guy. Though he sounds like the total opposite to myself. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than having a dozen strangers over to my house for dinner every week. You can listen to a five minute audio interview with him here [[c](http://clowes.org/file/audio/Outlook, The man who invited the world over for dinner-p0954vjk.m4a)]. And here’s his Wikipedia.

January 26th, 2021

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

If You Squeeze the Coronavirus, Does It Shatter? New York Times. Was that headline thought up by a stoner at 3 AM?

Sauna culture in Finland is now part of UNESCO’s ‘Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’. UNESCO. I love saunas. Believe it or not one of the biggest downsides of the COVID-19 pandemic from a personal point of view has been that I can’t use my gyms sauna. I love saunas so much that I have to set myself a time limit otherwise I spend too much time in there and end up making myself light-headed and giving myself a headache for the rest of the day. I have little interest in travelling. But spending some time in a pukka Finnish sauna is certainly on my list of things to visit.

UNESCO has also made a video about Finnish sauna culture. I find it interesting that they introduce babies to the sauna. I suppose as long as it’s not too hot it’s fine but I just never have imagined babies going into the sauna before. [via MetaFilter]

Looks like McDonalds UK is attempting to buff up its ‘healthy’ image by this addition to its online menu:

It’s kind of ironic that The NoSurf Activities List of things to do away from the internet includes lots of links to the subreddits for all the different activities.

Today I discovered that cucumber and red cabbage is a far better burger topping than lettuce and tomato. Honestly I can’t believe how nice red cabbage is.

Dressing Gowns Are Stupid

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

I have a strong dislike for dressing gowns. And my reasons are multiple.

Firstly, you have to wear at the very least boxers underneath. Because if you don’t your dick flops out every two minutes and you flash family members your scrotum each time you sit or squat down. So you end up wearing what you’d usually be wearing underneath the dressing gown anyway.

Always ill-fitting, it feels like 80% of the fabric is in the upper half of the dressing gown. So your upper body is boiling. But the lower extremities feel cold and exposed, like you’re wearing a child sized kilt on a winters day.

The arms are too long with wide sleeves that droop on to your plate each time you eat. And every time you move your arms too quickly you feel like Dumbledore conjuring a spell.

How I feel wearing a dressing gown

The belt is useless. It comes undone every thirty seconds, usually thanks to the slippery fabric it’s made of. So you double knot it, making it impossible to undo ever again. And of course it’s now so tight that you feel like you’re wearing a corset that Dita Von Teese would find cramped. And don’t forget the stupidly long tassels are just hanging there, getting in your way. And if the belt is done up good luck accessing anything you have in your pockets.

I mean, you could just not bother doing up the belt of course. But an undone dressing gown gives you the look of a mentally ill person who has just escaped the psychiatric ward.

And don’t ever let a neighbour see you outside in your dressing gown. A man outside in a dressing gown at any time of day stinks of unemployed and recently divorced.

The collar is a monstrous thing. Thick and wide. Which is only useful if you plan on wearing your dressing gown at a concert whilst a girl is sitting on your shoulders. And it would protect your shoulders in such circumstances to be fair.

How I think I look in a dressing gown vs. How I actually look

You will never wash it. So food stains and your dressing gowns fabric become life partners. That soup stain will still be there in five years, encrusted in time.

And you can’t wear the dressing gown in bed because it will have travelled all the way up your body before you’ve even launched Netflix. So you have to take it off. Meaning you now need a place to store it. Not on a hanger in your wardrobe, that’s too much work. So instead it’s usually piled onto the floor. You could put it on a hook on the back of your bedroom door. But now you have around 5KG of ugly fabric in your eyeline whilst in bed. And the chances of you waking up in the middle of the night and mistaking it for a creepy intruder watching you from your doorway is extremely high.

So in summary, dressing gowns are stupid.

'Their Noses Paid the Bills. Then COVID Took Their Sense of Smell'

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Wired UK °:

Anxiety about this ailment [loss of smell] is creeping into wine and fine dining. In the wine industry, losing your sense of smell is so taboo that several sommeliers interviewed for this piece did not want to be identified. One sommelier at a top London restaurant likened the symptoms to a star athlete injuring their anterior cruciate ligament – a knee injury used to routinely put an end to professional athletes’ careers. They warned that those with a compromised sense of smell could be branded as “damaged goods” or unfit for work in the eyes of the profession. Others have questioned whether it could be a factor in future hiring decisions. One well-known former wine buyer for high-end restaurants, who is still suffering from parosmia six months on, said they aren’t able to function correctly in the business because they have “lost the way to detect nuance in wine”. They have stopped buying expensive wines for their own enjoyment as a result.

[…] Researchers and medics now think smell loss happens due to the virus damaging what they call the supporting cells of the olfactory epithelium – the area high in the nose where we detect odours. This area contains both the nerve cells, and supporting cells that make the nose work. If damaged by a virus, these have to regenerate and forge new connections to the brain. Some think that parosmia is an indication of nerve cells healing and making new connections to the brain.

Losing your smell is pretty awful. I haven’t checked, but I’m guessing COVID-19 doesn’t actually affect your taste in any way, despite reports. It’s just that scent is such a vital part of taste that it actually feels like you’ve lost your taste.

Here’s a quick fun game for you to try. Get someone to open a random flavour of crisps for you. Close your eyes, pinch your nose and then eat a crisp and try to guess what flavour it is. It’s close to impossible. Your nose is so important for taste.

'Woman Is Sentenced to 43 Years for Criticizing Thai Monarchy'

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

The New York Times [c]:

The onetime civil servant’s crime was to share audio clips on social media that were deemed critical of Thailand’s monarchy. The sentence, handed down on Tuesday by a criminal court in Bangkok, was more than 43 years in prison.

It was the longest sentence yet for violating Thailand’s notoriously tough lèse-majesté law, which makes it a crime to defame senior members of the royal family, according to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. The former civil servant, Anchan Preelert, was sentenced to 87 years, but her prison term was cut in half because she agreed to plead guilty.

[…] Section 112 of the criminal code makes insulting or defaming the king or his close relatives an offense punishable by three to 15 years in prison. Each charge is counted separately, which partly explains why Ms. Anchan’s prison sentence is so long.

What century is it?

Brutalism

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

The Barbican Estate

In the Financial Times the other day, ‘Beauty and the Brutalists: why the most maligned style in history should be preserved’ [c]:

But one of his [Donald Trump’s] last acts in office was to issue an executive order that new federal buildings must be built in a classical style. What they should not be, it specified, is Brutalist. This is how it was defined:

“Brutalist means the style of architecture that grew out of the early 20th-century Modernist movement that is characterised by a massive and block-like appearance with a rigid geometric style and large-scale use of exposed poured concrete.”

Alton Estate

Brutalism is probably my favourite architectural style. And I’ll be honest, I don’t really know why.

I think a big reason is that it’s just drastic and different. Stark, and well… brutal. It has a cyberpunk and sci-fi look which I find beautiful and endearing. Would I want every building to be built in the brutalist style? No. But I love it all the same.

There’s a line in the movie The Da Vinci Code where Tom Hank’s character is asked by a police officer what he thinks of the Louvre Pyramid in Paris. He says “it’s magnificent.” But the policeman replies, “a scar on the face of Paris.” That phrase often pops into my head when I’m in London and stumble on a piece of brutalism. It is in many ways a scar. But it’s a cool scar. One that adds character in my opinion.

Me at the Barbican Estate

The average person however does seem to think of brutalism as just a straight up ugly scar. And only a certain sort of person seems to be actually willing to live in such buildings. The FT continues:

There is a lot of truth in the long-running joke that Brutalism’s loudest champions — and many of the residents of London’s most famous Brutalist estates, including the Barbican and Keeling House — are all architects themselves.

It’s certainly not for everyone. And I do admit that goverment buildings built in the brutalist style certainly take on a dystopian quality. But I kind of like that. I feel like they’re not trying to hide anything from me. They’re not built to some ancient Greek ideal with white marble and curved columns. Instead they’re admiting they’re often broken and brutal institutions. It’s ugly architecture for an ugly world.

Interested in more brutalism? Check out /r/brutalism or buy “This Brutal World” published by Phaidon.

The Parler U.S. Capitol Riot Video Archive

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

Before Parler was closed down (for now anyway) some hackers downloaded almost the entirety of the site. Vice has the story [c]:

Donk_enby had originally intended to grab data only from the day of the Capitol takeover, but found that the poor construction and security of Parler allowed her to capture, essentially, the entire website. That ended up being 56.7 terabytes of data, which included every public post on Parler, 412 million files in all—including 150 million photos and more than 1 million videos. Each of these had embedded metadata like date, time and GPS coordinates—unlike most social media sites, Parler does not strip metadata from media its users upload, which, crucially, could be useful for law enforcement and open source investigators.

I’m no SysAdmin but surely one of the first things you do if you run a web service which lets users upload media is to make sure that you strip the EXIF data. It’s hilarious that Parler didn’t do this.

Anyway all this data is useful in identifying crimes that were done during the recent riot in the U.S. capitol [[c](https://cdn.clowes.org/cached/2021/2021 storming of the United States Capitol - Wikipedia.html)] as many of the rioters were Parler users.

But the vast majority of video on Parler had nothing to do with the riot. So ProPublica have done the legwork [[c](https://cdn.clowes.org/cached/2021/Why We Published More Than 500 Videos Taken by Parler Users of the Capitol Riot — ProPublica.html)] and released an archive of around 500 videos from the riot itself. All neatly organised too (unlike the rioters).

You can view them all here. It’s fascinating stuff.

'Inside Twitter’s Decision to Cut Off Trump'

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

The New York Times [c]:

But Mr. Dorsey was not sold on a permanent ban of Mr. Trump. He emailed employees the next day, saying it was important for the company to remain consistent with its policies, including letting a user return after a suspension.

Many workers, fearing that history would not look kindly upon them, were dissatisfied. Several invoked IBM’s collaboration with the Nazis, said current and former Twitter employees, and started a petition to immediately remove Mr. Trump’s account.

[…] Some Twitter employees, fearing the wrath of Mr. Trump’s supporters, have now set their Twitter accounts to private and removed mentions of their employer from online biographies, four people said. Several executives were assigned personal security.

I still don’t know how I feel about Trump being banned from Twitter. I personally think a two week ban might of been the better option.

Also it’s worth revisiting this article by the New York Times again: How Trump Reshaped the Presidency in Over 11,000 Tweets.

Dr Martens To Go Public

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

British boot manufacturer Dr Martens is going to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. Financial Times [c]:

While Dr Martens has returned to profitability under Permira’s ownership, the period has not been without problems. In recent years, the brand has suffered complaints that the quality of its shoes is not what it used to be.

Mr Wilson dismissed “rumours” about the quality of Dr Martens boots, saying that the company has been using the same leather supplier for the past 20 years. But it has no plans to reintroduce its life-long warranty range, which it ditched three years ago citing low demand for the more expensive boot.

Outside the fashion community Dr Martens has entirely lost its reputation. No boot enthusiast is buying them any more. Docs were never work boots, but they were always exteremly well made and long lasting. Those days are over.

Instead I’d recommend buying some Solovair’s instead. They use the same machinery that older Dr Martens were made with. And I’ve been very happy with mine.

Snow and the iPhone

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve been taking this same photograph from my bedroom window of fresh snow ever since I got my first iPhone over 11 years ago. And do you know what? For all the improvements to the iPhone camera over that time this photo still looks as crappy as ever. The photo above I just took. And it looks just awful. Low-light conditions continues to be a problem the iPhone hasn’t quite conquered yet.

Apple, let me choose how much storage Photos uses

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 08:16:00 -0000

Apple needs to give more control over how much storage the Photos app uses.

Like a lot of people, I have enough photos and videos that they won’t fit on my iPhone anymore.¹ So I have the ‘Optimise iPhone Storage’ option enabled, which keeps recent photos on-device, but will download older ones on demand when I view them. Sure, sometimes when you want to view on old video it takes longer to download than I’d like. But for the most part it works well.

The glaring issue: you get zero control over how much storage Photos uses.

I often run low on storage on my iPhone or Mac. Then I check, and Photos is using 38 GB. That’s too much for my liking. But what can I do? Absolutely nothing.

This morning, I wanted to upgrade my iPad to iOS 18. Not enough storage. I needed 3 GB free. Here’s what my storage looked like:

Nearly every app shown above is something I use daily, and none are storage hogs. I’d have to delete several just to squeeze out the required space.

What would be far easier? Telling Photos to free up space. But nope, I can’t. So I simply skipped the update.

Hundreds of millions of people have been in the iPhone ecosystem for over a decade now. Many can’t fit all their photos on their phone and use the ‘Optimise iPhone Storage’ feature. How many can’t install a new app or update iOS because Photos uses too much space?

Considering Apple loves it when users quickly upgrade to the latest iOS, you’d think they’d make it as seamless as possible? Letting users manually clear some of the Photos cache seems like an obvious way to free up some storage.

At least not a 256 GB iPhone. And I’m not paying for a 1 TB one. ↩︎

Thoughts on the state of Google

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 09:54:00 -0000

Om Malik recently wrote about the mediocrity of modern Google.

Google used to be cool. I remember reading “The Google Story” as a young geek and feeling inspired. But over time, my love hasn’t just waned – it’s expired completely.

The final blow? When they changed their slogan from “don’t be evil”.

Shutting down Google Reader was another pivotal moment. After that, I couldn’t trust anything beyond their major products. Why invest time in something that might vanish after a few years?

Many complain that Google search results aren’t what they once were. I’ve noticed a decline, though perhaps not as dramatic as some suggest. I want to give them some slack – fighting SEO tricks must be challenging. But with billions of pounds at their disposal, this problem should be solvable.

Integrating AI into search results presents a dilemma. Users seem resistant, yet Google can’t ignore AI’s significance. Neglecting it might leave them behind, but when people visit Google, they typically want links, not AI summaries.

Solution? Separation.

On the homepage, replace “I’m Feeling Lucky” with an AI search button:

Or simply separate search results from AI answers.

Current mobile layout:

Suggested mobile layout with AI slightly hidden:

On desktop, utilise the sidebar:

Speaking of AI, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro has been released with impressive coding capabilities and free (limited) access. This is the right direction, as Gemini lacks the enthusiasm that surrounds ChatGPT and Claude.

While it’s somewhat true that AI companies have little moat – users quickly move to new LLM offerings if they’re superior – Google seems different. Anecdotally, the average user isn’t rushing to try Gemini.

If I were Google, I’d leverage my financial might. Their models have caught up technically with OpenAI and Claude (for now, see me again in a month), but ChatGPT remains the default choice for average users. Google needs to become the default.

So make Gemini truly, completely free. No paid plans whatsoever (for now). Maximise adoption by removing all barriers. And introduce Gemini to Search results subtly, not by shoving it in peoples faces.

In the AI arms race, having superior models means nothing if people aren’t using them.

The Tech That Powers My Life (2025 edition)

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 17:59:49 -0000

I love reading about the tools and technologies people use in their daily lives. I eagerly followed sites like Uses This and Workspaces, which offer glimpses into the digital setups of people. And I even shared my own setups in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

But I want more than a glimpse. A simple desk photo and a list of tools only scratch the surface. I want the ‘why’. What drives someone to select a piece of software or hardware? What features make it indispensable to their workflow?

Manuel Moreale’s People and Blogs sometimes has plenty of detail. But it’s just about people’s blogs, not their digital life.

Stephen Wolfram’s blog post on his personal infrastructure is a prime example of the level of detail I crave.

So for my setup this year I’ve decided to be the change I want to see in the world and have written a deep dive into my digital life. I talk about how I get work done and stay organised. As well as my backup strategies, my adventures in video transcoding, and even my foray into running my own online radio station.

On my work-from-home days I get up around 06:00 with an alarm clock that grows brighter as my wake-up time approaches. It’s meant to mimic daylight and wake you up feeling refreshed, but I haven’t noticed any difference.

As a back-up I have an Alexa alarm too. After I yell “Alexa, stop”, a routine runs that tells me the sunrise/sunset time, weather, journey time to the train station, calendar events, and then turns on my bedroom lamp.

In the summer months I then head out for a morning walk. I’ve tracked my walks in RunKeeper for years now. I don’t do anything with the data, it’s just habit at this point. As I walk I listen to a podcast in Overcast (see a list of my favourite podcasts). I’ve tried other podcast players and whilst they’ve now caught up with some of my favourite Overcast features, like smart speed – a feature that removes the small silent gaps between sentences – it’s still my favourite.

My first-generation Apple Watch served me well for 9 years before I recently upgraded to the Series 9. I’m sure the newer model offers more accurate step counting and heart rate monitoring, but it mostly feels the same to me. I use it primarily for passive health tracking, so I don’t notice things like improved UI responsiveness.

Returning home, I prepare my morning coffee – a blend of 6 grams caffeinated and 12 grams decaffeinated beans – and settle in with my first-generation iPad Pro to begin my morning reading routine.

A two-decade devotee of RSS, I’ve recently switched from Reeder back to NetNewsWire on both iOS and Mac. NewsBlur handles the cross-device feed synchronisation. I love RSS.

For longer articles, I send them to Omnivore, a read-later service in the vein of Pocket or Instapaper. While reading in Omnivore, I highlight notable passages and add relevant tags. Then the obsidian-omnivore plugin creates a text file in Obsidian with the article text, highlights and any tags.

Obsidian serves as my digital brain. It’s built using Electron, so doesn’t feel very ‘Mac’. But it’s very powerful, with endless plugins and customisation options, whilst still being run on simple text files. I maintain a minimal setup: default theme, Omnivore plugin, and an outliner for easy bullet point management.

Aside from being an Omnivore article archive, the other notes I have in there are various, but these are the some of the main categories: notes and highlights from books, what I’ve watched and their ratings, recipes, beer reviews, life logs (a diary), info about me, album reviews, notes on places I’ve visited and just notes on people, concepts and things I’ve learnt. I use Obsidian as my own knowledge base.

The power of Obsidian’s backlinks creates an interconnected web of knowledge. For example, mentioning Peterloo in a film review automatically links to my note on the Peterloo Massacre, which in turn connects to related mentions in books and podcasts.

All my notes are the published at Learnt.me, so feel free to have a poke around. It’s basically as close to my brain in digital form as you can get.

After RSS, I turn to non-fiction reading.¹ To combat my poor memory, I’ve developed a system: important concepts are rewritten in my own words in Obsidian, while notable passages are captured via Readwise. Readwise highlights are then synced to Obsidian through its plugin. Using spaced repetition learning, Readwise show me highlights in daily reviews so I am more likely to remember what I’ve read.

By the time I’m done reading it’s time to drop my girlfriend off at the train station. To avoid traffic I use Google Maps. I prefer the look of Waze, but its arrival time estimation is way too hopeful and its traffic information isn’t as accurate. It knows there’s traffic, but it often underestimates it. It also has a tendency to take you down small, annoying roads and through difficult junctions just to shave 30 seconds off your travel time. Apple Maps is gorgeous and much improved these days, but I still don’t trust it.

On my in-office days I usually leave around 07:20 and get the 07:45 train, arriving at work around 08:30.

I rely on Citymapper for accurate train info. However, it doesn’t work very well whilst I’m offline, which is odd for an app that is so often offline. It also has a tendency to be killed in the background.

I read during the train journey, accompanied by ambient or classical music to create a bubble of focus amidst the commuter chaos. When concentration proves challenging, I switch to RSS feeds – a lighter alternative that still makes productive use of the time.

👆My desk at home.

At around 08:15 I get home from dropping my girlfriend off. I’ll head to my desk and start work. I like to start work early, as my brain works best in the first six hours of being awake. And I try to get my key tasks done before noon.

I’m an Apple user and my main computer is a MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) with 16GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD. It has an Intel CPU and a fan in it, so it feels a bit dated now. But it works well and I’m hoping to get another year or two out of it.

I’ve used and had Windows and Linux computers in the past. Linux I quite like, though it lacks some software I use, and a lot of its software looks like it’s still from 2006. Windows is a mess and its ugliness offends me. I spend many hours a day using and looking at my computer screen, I want it to be a nice and pleasant place to be. And a Mac remains the best in that regard.

The desk I use is a IKEA Skarsta sit/stand one. I tried the standing feature when I was having some issues with sciatica, but it didn’t agree with me and the pain just moved from my bum to my back. It’s a perfectly fine desk. It doesn’t shake when I type, nor make any noises. Though I wish it was a bit less deep and little bit wider.

In 2013, after suffering from persistent back pain, I decided to invest in a Herman Miller Aeron chair. I’d heard that spending extra on a high-quality office chair was worth the outlay. But the steep prices deterred me from taking the plunge. The advice was spot-on though. It helped my back pain,² and the chair is incredibly durable, outlasting the typical office chair by a significant margin.³ Despite years of daily use the only sign of wear is a crease on the armrest caused by my habit of resting my chin on my hand whilst deep in thought.

I like to have as much screen real estate as possible and I currently have two 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Displays. They’re 12 years old now and use a lot of power, but they do the trick. They sit atop several books to give me the height I need. I like to position my ‘main’ monitor directly in front of me and the ‘secondary’ monitor to my left, angled to face me. I also often use my iPad in sidecar mode so I have a third display. Though I find sidecar uses quite a lot of CPU power, so when I’m doing heavy work I will often disconnect my iPad to avoid my computer slowing down.

Years of dealing with RSI have shaped my choice of input devices, prioritising ergonomics over aesthetics.

I have a Logitech M570 trackball. I find it less straining to move my thumb instead of my whole wrist like with a mouse. And I like trackballs because they can be used on any surface.

I like mechanical keyboards and previously used a Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2. But one day at work I had to use a crappy Dell keyboard and I noticed my RSI pain lessened. Mechanical keyboards are often tall and require force to hit the keys, which unbeknownst to me was causing my hands issues. I now prefer a thin keyboard with basic switches that can be hit with little pressure. I have the Cherry Stream TKL. It’s just the right size, lacking a numeric keypad but still featuring full size arrow keys.

It’s important to mix things up when you have RSI. So to give my right hand a rest I use a Apple Magic Trackpad with my left hand. Having a trackpad also lets me use multi-touch gestures for things like quickly switching between Mac virtual desktops. I love virtual desktops and use them extensively.

The only other thing I have on my desk is a Anglepoise 1227 lamp. It’s a good lamp, but I wouldn’t recommend it too strongly these days now that the on/off switch has been moved from the lamp head to the cable.

👆My desk at work.

At my desk at work⁴ I have a somewhat similar setup. There’s some sort of 1080p Dell monitor that’s attached to a monitor arm. The monitor is fine. It’s a bit too big to be 1080p, so everything looks zoomed in to my eyes. But it’s got a small bezel and you connect to it via USB-C. The monitor arm on the other hand I strongly dislike. I can’t relax if my monitor isn’t level, and the arm makes that difficult. It also doesn’t have the reach to make the monitor high enough for me, which I hate.

My ‘second monitor’ is just my propped up laptop. And again, I’ll often use my iPad Pro in sidecar mode as a third monitor. The trackball and keyboard remains the same.

The position of my work desk is in a nice spot. It’s by a window, with a good view. I get distracted easily, so I like being in the quietest spot I can. Mine is in an okay location. There’s not much to distract me outside the window, as I’m too high up. And whilst there is a TV mounted in my line of sight, I turned it off 6 months ago and no one has turned it back on.

I also have large pillar directly behind me. This means prying eyes are less likely to see my screen. I don’t have anything to hide. I just get oddly stressed if my screen is clearly visible.

The office chairs at work are very poor. But there’s a single nice one on my floor. A Herman Miller Aeron chair – the same chair I use at home. The head of my department used it, but when he got a promotion I put it at ‘my’ desk ands its thankfully remained there ever since. People don’t seem to notice it’s a nice one, so they don’t try and pinch it.

I start my work day with an hour or so of focused work.⁵ Then at around 09:30 I launch Todoist and begin my ‘Review & Preview’ routine where I look at my previous days notes and tasks. I’m a long term and loyal user of Todoist – I love it. It’s been a consistently great piece of software.

The first thing I do is go to my ‘Today’ filter page, which shows me all to-dos due today that are work related, grouped by team and organised by priority. To combat ADHD task paralysis there will only be three tasks there, otherwise I get overwhelmed.

I will then take those three key tasks and add them to my Field Notes 56-Week Planner (see pic). Three work tasks, three personal.

Todoist filters are wonderful. Especially if like me you use the same account for personal and work tasks. It really makes separating or combining things easier.

I use labels too. For example, if someone has asked me to do a task for them I’ll put their name as a label as I don’t often remember what the task someone gave me was, but I remember who asked me. I also use labels as a way to remove tasks from my filters. Non-important tasks are given the @someday label so I don’t have to see them until… someday.

Todoist now supports task durations and they also have a 7 day calendar view, making time blocking possible.⁶ Time blocking is vital. A long list of todos with no plan of when I’m going to do them ends with me getting nothing done and feeling guilty about it. Time blocking keeps me honest and not over stretched.⁷

My work emails are in Gmail and I try to practise Inbox Zero. Whenever a new email appears I will label it with either action, later, or waiting and then archive it to keep my inbox clear. I find this system works well for me.⁸

I’m not a fan of how Gmail looks. So I use the Simplify browser extension to improve it and get rid of some features that I don’t use. It also narrows the width of the emails. Something I hate is long lines of text. I like about 65 characters per line. Anything much more than that I find annoying to read. And I despise any software thats job is to show text but that doesn’t let me narrow the width of that text (👋 Slack).

Talking of browser extensions. In my work browser I also use Markdown Here so I can write emails in Markdown, and Todoist One-Click so I can quickly add links to Todoist.

On my personal browser I use:

1Password, for auto filling in passwords
Auto Refresh Plus, to refresh pages at set intervals
Bulk Media Downloader, to download things like images from sites that stop me from doing so
GoFullPage, for taking full page screenshots
Omnivore, for saving pages for later
Reddit Enhancement Suite, for making reddit bareable
Save Image as Type, so I can save .webp images as .jpg
Shut Up, so I don’t have to see any comment sections

As I mentioned, I’m a fan of time blocking. So my calendar is important to me. I use Google Calendar. I like its clean design. When I look at my day in other calendars it just makes me feel terrible. It looks overwhelming and a total mess. Google Calendar handles things like events that overlap very gracefully.

But the main reason why I use it is because it greys out past events. When I launch other calendars I always have to take a moment to orient myself to just work out what day I should be looking at.

Like email, Slack presents its own problems. It’s harder to organise messages and easier to lose things compared to email. And its instant nature can be distracting.

To combat this I turn off notifications for anything but direct messages and mentions. And when I want to focus I’ll put my device in ‘Focus’ mode, and that turns off notifications for things like Slack and Gmail.

I actually find the best way to keep up with all the various Slack channels is in the app. The ‘catch-up’ feature ° on their app is great. You can quickly swipe away unread messages, or keep them unread for later.⁹

My first meeting of the day is a stand-up at 09:45. My company is in the Google ecosystem (thankfully), so Google Meet is used. It seems to lack some features compared to Zoom and Microsoft Teams, but at least it isn’t a bloated mess. I have to use Zoom and Teams from time to time and hate them jointly.

The webcam I use is a Anker PowerConf C200. I don’t have any compliments for it or complaints against it. Though it’s so high quality that I lower the webcam settings to 720p, so my colleagues don’t have to see every detail of my lit up face.

My microphone is just the mic in my Soundcore P3i earpods. AirPods are too expensive for me to just loose within 12 months. And their battery lifecycle is too short for the cost too. The Soundcore’s are cheap and basic, but still offer solid noise cancellation and if I lose them it’s not the end of the world.

With my memory being terrible I have to take extensive notes during meetings. So I have Meet taking up two thirds of my main monitor and Roam the other third. I quickly move and resize windows using Divvy.

I use Roam – which is similar to Obsidian – for work notes. I have a note for each day. Each evening before I log off I auto-populate the next days note with a daily template via the SmartBlocks plugin. The template has a list of meeting notes, a work log section for work I’ve done, and also a ‘currently’ section for general current info or issues I want to be kept aware of. Every recurring meeting has its own note, so I can see my notes from the previous meetings.

I hate having to constantly re-type the same words all day. So I use Typinator to speed things up. So when I type ;bq it turns into BigQuery. It’s also useful to avoid remembering commands in the Terminal. For example, if I type ;ytdl and it enters a youtube-dl command to download a YouTube video.

You can mute yourself in Meet with a keyboard shortcut, but Meet has to be the active window (which it rarely is for me as I’m typing my notes in Roam). So I have an automation set up in BetterTouchTool so that when I hit ⌘ + Shift + M my microphone is muted system wide via an AppleScript.

I also use BetterTouchTool for quickly launching apps. ^ + ⌥ + O launches Obsidian, ^ + ⌥ + R launches Roam, ^ + ⌥ + S launches Slack, and so on.

Talking of Slack, I hate how to add a link in a message it’s ⌘ + V, not the usual ⌘ + K. So BetterTouchTool fixes that too.

The other keyboard tool I use is Karabiner-Elements, as I use a Windows keyboard that isn’t Mac friendly. It helps me turn the ALT key into ⌘, amongst other things.

Morning meeting over I’ll try and get some more work done. It’s amazing how much you can get done in a browser these days. It’s rare for me to see my colleagues have anything other than Chrome and Slack open.

I don’t use Chrome, but Brave instead. The main reason being that I always have many open tabs and it supports having them as a vertical list to the side of the window, rather than at the top. Once you have more than 20 tabs open in Chrome you see nothing but favicons, making it tough to find things.

Aside from that though Brave is Chromium-based and very similar to Chrome. Though it does it have ad blocking built-in.

Other browser based tools I use at work are Miro for mind-mapping and Google Docs, Sheets, etc. That’s about it really.

I’ll occasionally listen to music whilst I work. I avoid using my Soundcore earpods as their audio profile is set up for voice, and music doesn’t sound too great. So I use my Beyerdynamic T90 headphones. They sound great. Though Beyerdynamic’s famous treble-heavy sound profile isn’t my favourite and I find it a bit tiring on my ears at times. I’ll also sometimes listen to music through a truly ancient set of Bose speakers, the model number of which has been lost to time.

I continue to miss Rdio, my favourite music streaming platform. So I use Spotify. I think it’s perfectly good. I’m a light mode kind of guy (don’t send me abuse), so its colour scheme isn’t my ideal. But I think its music recommendations are solid and it’s rare for them not to have an artist/album I want to listen to.

At around 17:00 I’m done with work for the day.

Part of my ‘power down’ routine is backing up Roam. When the .zip file hits my downloads folder Hazel unzips it and squirrels it away into my Dropbox ‘backups’ folder.

Hazel is a incredible time saver. I use it mostly to auto-move/rename files and run shell scripts.

LLM’s like ChatGPT have really unleashed the power of shell scripts for me. I used scripts in the past, but sparingly. They were too much bother to write. Now I can just ask GPT-4 and it will create one in seconds. It’s amazing. And that flexibility is one of the reasons I will always love a computer over a phone. It opens up the power of computing, instead of holding it back.

A shell script is like a mini app, made just for me, that sits there until called upon. It doesn’t cost money or take up CPU in the background. And I can customise it exactly how I see fit – no begging a developer to implement a feature.

I have about 30 shell scripts. This is what some of them do:

Moves files from my main drive to my server via rsync
Auto-download videos once they’re added to one of my YouTube playlists
Removes spaces from file names to make them more web friendly
Compress and resize images
Remove GPS EXIF data from photos
Post to Micro.blog (and thus my other social networks) from the command line
Look for non-local image URLs in my Obsidian notes, download them and replace the link with the local image copy
Auto commit and push various GitHub repos when there’s been changes
Auto upload files to S3 for easy sharing of things like screenshots
Transcode FLACs to MP3s
And others that I’ll get onto to

I used Dropbox back in the day, but I had a hiatus of several years where I opted for cheaper and more open-source alternatives. I relied on SyncThing and Resilio for a while. They worked well, but their poor mobile apps meant I switched to back to Dropbox. I simply got sick of not being able to access my files on the go.

The Dropbox client was consistently using 1 GB of RAM for me though, so I use Maestral instead – it’s a lot more lightweight.¹⁰ But in general Dropbox does exactly what I ask of it.

After work I might write a blog post on my other blog, blot.blog. So I hit ⌘ + SPACE and Alfred pops up, my current launcher of choice,¹¹ and I get up iA Writer.

iA Writer is where I write. It’s your bog-standard minimalist Markdown editor. But I like how I can have various saved folder locations in the sidebar, meaning all my various blogs posts are easily to hand.

My blogs are all powered by Hugo (aside from my Micro.blog, Clowes.blog). I like how it creates static pages, which means my blogs are easy and cheap to host, and endlessly backupable.

The only downside is that you have to go into the Terminal and run some commands to preview, build and deploy your blog. It also makes it close to impossible to blog on my phone. So I’ve used my close friend the shell script to get around that.

Once I want to publish a post I’ve written on my phone I just need to rename the file to pub. A script will then rename pub to whatever the posts title is in the front matter, build the blog and then deploy it to AWS S3.

Nearly all my sites are hosted on AWS now. The user interface is terrible and it’s easy to spend too much money. But it fits my needs well enough. I used a Linode VPS in the past. But when I outgrew the $5 plan and had to upgrade to the $12 one I realised it would be cheaper to switch to AWS. With Linode I was also worried about backups, CPU usage and running out of disk space. Whereas S3 is an endless bucket.

On admin days I have a few recurring things to do.

I work my way through my archived items in Omnivore and bookmark them in Pinboard.in too. I’ve been using Pinboard since 2010 and I wish I’d remained a bit more dedicated and loyal to it down the years. I would often bookmark things in Evernote, DEVONthink, or whatever was the flavour of the week. And as a result when I want to find a bookmark I have to look in several places – it’s all a bit disjointed.

Pinboard isn’t sexy, but it’s simple. Just a place to bookmark URLs with tags. It also saves a cached copy in case a link ever dies (which is often). I have just over 20,000 bookmarks there. And whilst Pinboard feels totally neglected by its owner in recent years and is very slow nowadays, it’s still my default place for bookmarks. Though I may switch to Raindrop if Pinboard continues to be neglected.

Pinboard’s cached copy doesn’t always work or look right. So I did attempt to create a workflow of downloading my own copy of each bookmark, uploading it to Amazon S3 and linking to it in the Pinboard bookmark description. But it was all a bit manual and it didn’t stick.

I did keep part of that workflow though. When I don’t want to lose a webpage I will download it locally too, using the SingleFile browser extension.

I’ve tried many tools for keeping local copies of webpages and SingleFile is by far the best and simplest. It’s not in a weird format, it doesn’t require complicated software to download and view, and it can be shared and stored easily, as all the images, CSS, etc. are stored in a big HTML file.¹²

Hazel auto-sorts it once its downloaded. And the end result is that if I hit a dead link in Pinboard and the cached copy isn’t very good then I’ll look locally and I’ll likely have it.

I also use SingleFile so I can have cached copies of any sites I link to on my blogs. I’ll add a ° symbol next to any pages I link to. When ° is clicked is shows the cached copy.

I’ll also backup my emails on my admin day. I use FastMail for personal email and am a big fan. I pay them and they handle my email – no fuss, no ads. FastMail has an export tool that gives me a zipped copy of everything. But I’ll also launch MailMate, which downloads all emails locally. I don’t use it as a client anymore as I’m satisfied using the FastMail website. I just launch it periodically so it can sync and download any new emails for easy backup.

With admin tasks finished I might watch a TV show or film. I have streaming services, but most of what I watch is on Plex – which is like Netflix but for your own local video files.

Plex is run on a server I built named ‘Zola’. Using Unraid as its OS, it has a AMD Ryzen 7 1700 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, a 500 GB SSD, 52 TB of Western Digital Red drives, and is housed in a Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout Edition case. It has various pieces of software on there, but Plex is its main job.

👆 My Plex server 'Zola'.

One my favourite tech hobbies is video transcoding. When I ‘buy’ a new BluRay I place the large 30-160 GB video file(s) in a folder monitored by SyncThing, which uploads them to a server I rent in the cloud. Based in Paris, it has an Intel Xeon E3-1220 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, 2 TB of storage and a 1 Gbps unmetered connection.

A HandBrake Docker container is installed on that server, and it watches the SyncThing folders. The Handbrake encode settings vary based on the folder the video is in.¹³

This is of course a lot of bytes being moved across the internet. But my broadband these days is 650 Mbps up, and 100 Mbps down, so the process of uploading/downloading these large video files between my local and cloud server doesn’t take too long.

The videos are encoded in HEVC/H.265 10 bit. It’s a lot slower compared to AVC/H.264, doesn’t have good browser support, and doesn’t handle grain very gracefully. But its file size savings are hard to ignore, especially at low bitrates.

I use CRF (Constant Rate Factor) 20-25 for HD and CRF 18-21 for 4K content.¹⁴ Using CRF for high grain video can cause massive bitrates. So I will choose the bitrate manually for grainy films, setting 6-8 Mbps for HD and 20-25 Mbps for 4K.

I encode the surround sound audio in E-AC-3 (Dolby Digital Plus) at 740 Kbps. HandBrake’s E-AC-3 encoder apparently isn’t much better than its AC-3 one, and certainly not as good as the commercial E-AC-3 encoders that streaming platforms use. So I give it some extra bitrate to compensate.

If the audio is Dolby Atmos I will just ‘pass it through’, keeping the original audio file, as Handbrake’s E-AC-3 encoder doesn’t support encoding Atmos.

One of the reasons I don’t like SyncThing is that I often run into file permission issues. For some reason either SyncThing or Unraid doesn’t like the files HandBrake produces. So I use a shell script to auto download the videos once Handbrake is done, and that gets around the issue.

On my admin days, I drag the weeks transcoded files to FileBot, which then nicely renames them and downloads subtitles and artwork. From there Plex picks them up and they’re ready to play.

I share my Plex library with friends and family. With the videos being compressed to a reasonable size, when they hit ‘play’, the video is often sent to them as-is, meaning Plex doesn’t have to transcode it into a different format or to a quality level low enough to not buffer. That speeds things up and saves me on electricity. Plex also has to transcode in real time, meaning the quality isn’t great. Whereas Handbrake transcodes things lovingly on the ‘slow’ setting. So a 4 Mbps H.264 file Plex produces will look many times worse than a 4 Mbps HEVC file HandBrake produces.

One of the downsides of having all these terabytes of videos is backing it up. The plug-and-play solutions the average person and their several terabytes of data would use simply won’t work for me – unless I’m happy paying $5 per TB per month (which would be $260/mo in my 52 TB’s case). So I have to get creative and embrace a slightly hodgepodge solution.

I have another server that helps me. An old Mac mini (late 2014, 2.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 500GB SSD). It used to run Plex, but it now mostly runs a lot of those shell scripts I mentioned. And it also helps me with backups.

Connected to it is a 5 TB external drive which has a backup of my most important files from my Unraid and my Mac. That is backed up to Backblaze. Then the most important 1 TB of that data is also stored on Dropbox Backup, as well AWS S3 Glacier via the app Arq. Arq also backs up my Dropbox folder to AWS S3 Glacier too. Though Glacier costs a fortune to restore data from, so it’s there as a worse case scenario option.

Before I had the Unraid server I used a Synology DS1815+ NAS, and it still works. So I’ve thrown in various older, smaller capacity drives to give me 24 TB of storage. So at midnight each night the most important half of the Unraid server is backed up there. The less important half? Sadly I just have to get comfortable with that disappearing if my Unraid server dies. At the end of the day it’s just films and TV shows, nothing life altering.

I’ve got too many photos and videos to store locally on my iPhone nowadays. So I pay for 2 TB of iCloud storage. It’s great, but it’s a single point of failure. If I or iCloud messes up and mass deletes my Photo Library then they’re lost forever. You can have Photo.app on your Mac store all of the photos/videos locally onto an external hard drive, which I do. But the folder structure is weird. So every now and again I’ll run icloudpd, which downloads a copy of all my photos/videos from iCloud in a nice, easy to understand folder structure.

Another thing the Mac mini powers is my own online radio station. I like to listen to music when I work. But I don’t want to think about what to listen to.

So Swinsian is used to shuffle a playlist on a loop. The music is laid-back ambient and electronic stuff.

Audio Hijack then takes the audio output, encodes it at 128 Kbps AAC and sends it to a Shoutcast radio server that’s hosted on a $5 Linode VPS.

I tune in using RADIO on my Mac and Triode on my phone.

I prefer ethernet wherever possible. So everything with an ethernet port is connected via a TP-Link 23-port switch. The Wi-Fi in my house is delivered by two Ubiquiti UniFi Long Range access points. Both of which do their job quietly and without fuss, which is all I ask.

My house is prone to power cuts. So I have a APC Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to give me time to gracefully power down things in case of a power cut.

Nearly all the equipment I’ve mentioned is housed in a Samson SRK21 rackmount case. I chose it as I wanted a central place for everything, but I didn’t need the depth and height of a normal rack.

Sitting on top of the rack is a BenQ GW2470HL 24 Inch monitor that I use for gaming. The majority of the games I play are online shooter games, so I don’t like playing on TV’s due to their input lag.

I’m not much of a gamer these days. For the past several years the only game I’ve really played has been Battlefield 1. I love it (see a list of my favourite video games).

I have a PlayStation 5, but I rarely use it. I’m still playing Battlefield 1 on my old PlayStation 4 Slim.

In the rack is also a Windows computer in a 2u server case. It spends most of its life powered down. I only turn it on to do something Windows-specific or when I want to play Age of Empires II, which isn’t supported on Mac.

My TV is a LG OLED55B9PLA 55 inch OLED 4K. I’m a big fan of the picture quality. OLED, whilst not great in bright rooms, is gorgeous. And this is my first 4K HDR TV, which is the main reason I upgraded. More for the HDR than the 4K. Some films have poor transfers and look worse in their 4K release compared to the HD one, but for the most part I prefer 4K and I’ve upgraded as many films as possible in my Plex library to 4K.

One thing I despise about the LG TV is that when there’s a firmware update a notification pops-up covering a third of the screen every single time you turn it on. And it stays there for about a minute. I don’t like updating firmware. I’m sure they’ve improved the picture quality and all that. But I’m also sure they’ve added more tracking vendors and cruft I don’t want. So I never upgrade. And as a result I see that pop-up every single time.

The TV’s connected to a Sony HT-CT381 soundbar. Soundbars often quite rightly get a lot of hate. But I needed one as I had limited space, and this Sony one is actually very good. It has deep bass and clear dialogue. And it sounds many times better than the built-in speakers. My only complaint is that the difference between the quiet parts and the loud are too wide. I either can’t hear, or I’m deafened.

My streaming box of choice is the NVIDIA Shield. I’m not a big fan of the UI, or Android TV in general. But I can’t complain about the Shield. It’s now nine years old and I see little reason to upgrade – aside from Dolby Vision support. It’s still as snappy and as powerful as the day I bought it.

TV show or film finished its time for dinner.

Whilst cooking I might listen to some music. I have a few Denon smart speakers (2 x 250’s. And one much older Denon HEOS 1 HS2). They sound good and are reliable.¹⁵ Though the app is slow and rather poor. Though it’s probably better than Sonos’ current app.

I’ve tracked my calories in MyFitnessPal for many years.¹⁶ It’s a terrible app and website. But it I like it more than the alternatives and it seems to have the biggest library of food.

In the post-dinner energy dip I might spend some time on social media.

I love Micro.blog and spend a lot of time there these days. My micro blog, Clowes.blog, is powered by it and I’m a big fan of it as a service. It’s the perfect combination of Twitter and blogging. And thanks to the fediverse I can follow people from Mastodon and Bluesky in there too. And I adore how when I post on Micro.blog it’s automatically cross-posted to my accounts on Mastodon, Tumblr, Flickr, Bluesky and Threads.

I don’t use Xwitter now that Elon Musk owns it. Threads has filled the gap. I’m not a fan of Meta,¹⁷ but Threads is an okay social network. It does sadly default to the algorithmic feed, rather than your ‘following’ one. And it has a huge problem of posts being stolen or being there for engagement).¹⁸ I do have an Instagram account again now, but use it sparingly. It’s mostly just so my Mum can send me cute animal videos.

My girlfriend introduced me to TikTok when we met. It is without doubt the most addictive form of social media I’ve ever come across. That app is purpose-built to take over your life. ¹⁹ And I let it engulf me for a while. I now use iOS’s ‘app limits’ feature to limit my usage. And try not to touch it at all if I can. Me and my girlfriend still have our ‘TikTok time’ though, where we’ll watch it together and she’ll show me ones she thinks I might like.

I don’t spend too much time on reddit these days. On a Saturday morning I’ll brew a cup of coffee and work through my favourite subreddits one-by-one. I find that’s a better way to use it, rather than constantly refreshing.

Having said that I do use it on my phone sometimes, via Narwhal. Reddit recently massively increased their API prices, so Narwhal charges £4/mo now. I thought I’d stop using it on the go after that, but I didn’t. I still use it once or twice a day. Usually whilst waiting for the train.

To make it a less toxic place I utilise filters liberally, blocking certain words and subreddits. I also don’t follow any subreddits that have a negative lean.

In the past I might journal in the evening, but the habit never really stuck. I briefly managed to do 750Words.com each day. And I’ve occasionally flirted with Day One. But I just find it too much work.

So I keep a ’log’ instead. All throughout the day I use jrnl to say what I’m up to. It’s a command line tool that stores what I write in a text file, and automatically includes the date and time.

To make input easy I just hit ⌥ + ^ + J and iTerm – the terminal emulator I use – is automatically launched and the jrnl command is pasted in and I’m ready to type. I’ll include what I’m up to, web articles I’ve just read or my general thoughts and feelings.

There isn’t a jrnl iOS app. So whilst on the go I log what I’m up to in Funnel iPhone app (App Store link), which then sends it to iA Writer, which saves it as a text file in iCloud. When my Mac mini sees this text file it will extract the text of what I’ve written and run the jrnl command. It’s a janky system, but aside from occasional duplicate entries it works quite well.

There are some things I prefer in physical/analogue format.

In the past six months I’ve started using notebooks. I’m quite particular about what I use. They need to be a pocketable size, not too thick, and feel high quality. It’s important that they’re a pleasant object, as the visual and tactile niceness of them is one of the reasons I use them. I use Field Notes and occasionally Moleskine pocket notebooks.

I use the notebooks for to-dos and writing occasional jrnl log entries.

Once I’ve completed a notebook I need to get the ‘jrnl’ entries I’ve handwritten actually into jrnl. So I’ll scan all the pages and then get Claude 3.5 Sonnet to OCR them and give me a shell script to add them into jrnl.

I like to read books (when I can). I wish I liked eBooks. It would be nice to easily highlight passages. But I love the book as an object. I love the look of the type. The feel. The smell. So sections I want to highlight are photographed in Readwise which OCR’s them.

My first iPhone was the 3GS and I’ve used them ever since. And whilst I flirted with Android when I used a HTC Wildfire and HTC Desire Z for a few months, I much prefer iOS to Android.

This is what my lock screen and home screen currently looks like:

👆My phones lock screen and home screen. I like the background artwork to be the same as the Field Notes I'm currently using.

The left hand side widget on my lock screen is my current/next calendar event. And the right hand side one is my top priority Todoist tasks. When my phone is in ‘Personal’ focus mode it shows personal tasks. When in ‘Work’ it shows work ones. It’s also a quick way to get something into Todoist. I just tap it and the app is launched.

My home screen does lose some screen real estate by having the calendar widget. But I find it useful as it makes it tougher to forget what’s up next.

The widget is from Readdle’s Calendars, as I prefer the design compared to the Google Calendar one. Though I still use Google Calendar for actually seeing and altering my calendar.

The apps on my home screen aren’t the ones I use the most. They’re the apps that I want to be able to quickly launch when I need them.

Here’s some of my favourite iOS apps:

Anki. A spaced repetition learning app. I prefer using it on my phone than Mac. It’s more productive than going onto social media and can be done in stolen moments.
AutoSleep and Sleep++. I wear my Apple Watch to bed. These two apps use my sleep data to tell me how well I’ve slept. I use them both to get an average.
Carrot, Mercury, Met Office, #uksnow. I use Apple’s Weather app by default, but I like to double check the weather in the other apps. Especially Carrot, which is good at rain. #uksnow is very good at snow as it’s crowdsourced by X users.
Dropbox. I use this often as I need to access my files more than I suspected. It also is good for recording audio and scanning documents/receipts.
Flightradar24. I enjoy knowing where a plane above me is going and has come from.
Flo. For tracking my girlfriend’s reproductive cycle. It helps me know how she’s feeling and know when to be extra nice to her.
IMDb. Mostly for finding out where I recognise that actor from.
Letterboxd. A new arrival. I used it when it launched, but stopped using it. I like Letterboxd for its average user rating. If a film has a rating above 3.5 I will watch it.
Poe and Perplexity. For AI answers on the go.
SomaFM. A great online radio station. Their stations “Groove Salad” and “Left Coast 70’s” are my favourites.
Speedtest. I use this weirdly often. I like to see how fast the WiFi/5G is where I am.
Swarm. Technically social media. But it’s just an app to ‘check-in’ to places. I use it because I like knowing what I was up to in days gone by. Whenever I’ll check-in to a place I’ll also add it into jrnl too.
Timer+. I need to have multiple timers at once. This app gives me that.
Trading212. My pension and savings are in low cost index funds. But in the past I’ve dabbled with active stock trading. I’ve started doing it again recently and use Trading212. I used Freetrade previously. But they now lock too many companies behind their premium plan.
TunnelBear. I have a British-based VPN. But this one is handy for other countries. I take advantage of the monthly 500 MB they give you for free.
Varys. This app tells me what people are watching on my Plex server. It works away from my home network, unlike Tautulli.
VSCO. For add filters to photos/videos. This used to be great back in the day. It’s not expensive and a bit crap. I still like their filters though.
WolframAlpha. To do maths that a calculator can’t.
Zero. I do intermittent fasting. This apps tells me how many hours I’ve been fasting.

On the Mac, this is some of my favourite software that I haven’t already mentioned:

1Password. The password manager I use. I tried replacing it with Dropbox Passwords, as I already pay for Dropbox and I wouldn’t have to pay for 1Password anymore. But it wasn’t quite polished enough. And when it comes to passwords you don’t want to mess around. 1Password’s app aren’t the greatest and are often buggy. But hey, they’re yet to leak my passwords.
AppCleaner. This is the best app I’ve found for uninstall Mac apps. It manages to leave almost no files hanging around.
Bartender. So many apps put icons in the Mac’s menu bar. Bartender is a very useful app for hiding the ones I don’t need. I have: Dropbox, Sound (for quickly changing audio output), WiFi, Battery, and time.
Calibre. An eBook manager. It’s ugly, but powerful. It can convert books and put them onto your Kindle.
DaisyDisk. Useful for seeing what’s using up you Mac’s storage.
Invisor. A media file inspector. I mainly just use it to see what the bitrate is of my transcoded video files.
SuperDuper! Creates whole-disk backups of my Mac.
WhatsApp. I communicate with friends/family almost entirely through WhatsApp. It’s nice not having to pick up my phone to message.

And that about sums it up.

If you’ve made it this far, I congratulate you – this turned into a deeper dive than I was expecting.

It’s amazing how constantly shifting my digital life is. After two decades of using technology, I saw myself as a bit of a cautious adopter – someone whose experimenting days were over. It’s true in some ways. I no longer sign up to multiple new start-ups a week or download every new shiny app. But I still regularly try out new things and I’m frequently seeing what I can do to make my digital life easier, faster and more delightful. And I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I expect my 2026 update to contain many changes.

I also continue to be curious about how others live their digital lives. So, I encourage you to write up the tech that powers your life. And when you do, please send it my way and I’ll link to it below.

I only read really non-fiction books. Not because I’m ‘above’ fiction or anything like that. But because for some reason unless what I’m reading is ’true’, my brain won’t engage with it. I really wish I found reading fiction easier. ↩︎
Losing weight also helped massively! ↩︎
If you’re looking to buy one certainly consider going used. It will likely still be in good condition. And businesses that go out of business often offload their Herman Miller’s, so there’s often stock out there. ↩︎
Well, I say ‘my’ desk. We have hot desking at work, so it’s technically not mine. But I’m usually the first of my team in the office each morning, so I can always guarantee ‘my’ desk. ↩︎
I used to start my work day with ‘start up’ tasks such as checking email, Slack, preparing meeting notes, etc. But my energy and focus peaks in the morning. And once I start fielding messages it’s very easy to get distracted and no ‘real’ work gets done. ↩︎
Despite making time blocking possible, Todoist doesn’t make it as easy as it should be. I want to be able to see a list of my todos and drag them over to the empty slots in my calendar. Currently it only lets you do that with overdue tasks. So during my end of day ‘shutdown’ routine when I plan my next days work, I choose the todos I’ll be working on tomorrow, give them a duration, and then set all their start time for 09:00. Once finished I’ll go to the calendar view and move them into free slots accordingly. ↩︎
Because one of the first things you notice once you start time blocking is that nearly everything takes longer than you expect. So I’m always sure to build in some buffer time too. ↩︎
Though I’m aided by email being less frequently used than Slack at my workplace. ↩︎
Though I would prefer the ‘unread’ button to be replaced with a ’later’ button in the ‘catch-up’ view. I save messages for later with the ’later’ feature, not just keeping them unread. ↩︎
Though it currently has a pesky bug where it hangs and sometimes crashes when I plug my laptop in/out of an external monitor. ↩︎
I started using Alfred in 2013. I tried out Dropbox Dash and Raycast for year-long spells. But I’ve recently returned to Alfred. ↩︎
The only downside is that certain bloated websites lead to equally bloated local copies. In the past I’ve seen some huge JavaScript-heavy pages become a 150 MB file when SingleFile downloads it. Those I just discard, unless they’re really important – not worth the bytes. But the average file size is probably 1-4 MB. ↩︎
I don’t want a bad film that I’m unlikely to watch again to be encoded at the same quality as a film I love. So the folder dictates the settings and Handbrake gets to work. ↩︎
Although your own experience may vary. If you put in any custom things in the ‘more settings’ section in the video section in HandBrake it can affect CRF. So don’t blindly follow my CRF numbers. ↩︎
More reliable than I first suspected in fact. It was always a risk choosing Denon over Sonos. But the actual music playing/syncing has been solid. And my fear that it was a side project that would be neglected or abandoned hasn’t come true yet. ↩︎
Tracking calories is the best thing you can do when it comes to losing weight or maintaining your current weight. Calorie counting has long been associated with people with eating disorders and seen as unhealthy behaviour. Even if that were/is true, tracking calories is still vital for maintaining a healthy weight. And also for knowing what you’re putting in your body. It helps you spot foods high in saturated fat. And helps you notice things like how little fibre you might be getting. ↩︎
I remember deleting my Instagram account after Facebook bought it. A shame really, it would be nice to still have that @elliot username. ↩︎
There’s so many people asking silly and stupid questions that I filter out any post with a ? in it. ↩︎
TikTok is terrible for your brain. When I started using it I began to struggle to get through films and TV shows anymore. It rewires your attention span and before long anything but a 5-30 second long video almost hurts to sit through. It’s actually impressive how damaging it is. It got so extreme that I’d be watching a TikTok I really liked, but after a few seconds I’d swipe to the next video anyway. I wanted that next dopamine hit after the current faded after just a few seconds. It’s remarkable. ↩︎

Foursquare ends its restaurant app, keeps check-ins

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 08:59:49 -0000

Foursquare split into two apps in 2014, and now they’re killing one of them °.

What you need to know:

Foursquare City Guide (restaurant finder) = shutting down
Swarm (check-in app) = stays alive

Swarm remaining alive is good news for me — I use it daily to track where I’ve been. It builds a nice personal location history without any effort.

The City Guide app had value. When traveling it often pointed me to restaurants that weren’t in the top Google or TripAdvisor results — useful when struggling to book a table.

Foursquare as a company isn’t going anywhere. They’ve transformed into a location data provider, powering features in apps like Snapchat and Uber. The City Guide shutdown just makes that B2B shift a bit more official.

Share files in your own Permanent Public Folder

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 15:41:49 -0000

You should have your own ‘Permanent Public Folder’ folder for files you want to share.

Don’t use something like Dropbox or Imgur. They might work now. But eventually they won’t.

Instead, have them hosted in a folder on a domain you own.

And then:

Never change the domain.
Never delete/rename/move a file.

In my case, I use elliotclowes.com. It’s not the shortest or coolest domain I own. But I’m never going to get rid of it.

I use the folder /cold. It doesn’t make much sense. Cold storage is storage that’s not frequently accessed and is often stored on offline drives or CDs. But it makes sense to me, and I know to never delete it or touch it. Use whatever works for you.

Avoid using subfolders. There’s too much temptation to then move or sort files later on. I originally put files in yearly subfolders based on the year I uploaded them. I don’t anymore. But I won’t move anything. I’ve done it now and I’m not going to change it. Remember: never delete/rename/move a file.

Also avoid checking the folder. You’ll inevitably see a file called UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_69b5.jpg that is an image of a grape and be tempted to delete it.

I admit, this isn’t the right solution for everyone.

If you’re sharing large video files, the storage and bandwidth costs might be too high.

When you share a file with something like Dropbox, it will often nicely copy the link to your clipboard. That won’t happen here.

Uploading from your phone can be annoying – though there are now plenty of apps for uploading to SFTP servers or S3.

It can even be annoying on a computer, to be fair. But software like ExpanDrive and Mountain Duck will let you access your server from the file system. Then you can just drag and drop files.

You could also ask an LLM like GPT-4 to create a shell script for you to upload the files. That’s what I do. When Hazel sees a new file in the folder it runs a shell script that uses the AWS CLI to upload it (here’s my .sh file).

From CDs to AI: Media companies keep undervaluing their content

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:17:49 -0000

In 2002 the music industry was in a slump. Declining CD sales and rampant piracy had eaten into profits and labels were desperate.

Steve Jobs saw an opportunity. Apple had launched the iPod the year prior and he wanted a digital music store to pair with it. So meetings were held with record labels and a deal was struck with the five major labels – Universal, Sony, Warner, EMI, and BMG.

But in their piracy panic and desire to get profits back the labels undersold themselves. Firstly, they gave Apple control over the pricing. iTunes could sell songs individually, at $0.99. Users didn’t have to buy the full $9.99 album anymore.

But more importantly they simply underestimated how big digital music would become and sold the rights for what in hindsight would be a fraction of their true value.

In 2007 a similar story unfolded when Netflix launched their streaming platform. When they went to studios and networks about buying digital rights they were more than pleased to sell them at a low rate. To them it was free money. Streaming was seen as a perpetual secondary market to DVD sales and cable TV. And most of the rights Netflix wanted were for back catalog movies and TV shows. Content that didn’t produce much income anyway.

Hollywood made the same mistake the music industry made. They didn’t realise the value of what they had because they underestimated what a new technology – digital streaming – would become.

Web publishers are now in a similar position. Their profits have been dwindling for years and they’re searching for new revenue streams.

So when the AI companies that had been scooping up their content for free started getting $80 billion valuations the web publishers wanted their piece.

Just like the record labels, they wanted the ‘piracy’ – AI web crawlers scooping up anything and everything free of charge – to be stopped. So deals have started being made. The Associated Press, News Corp, the Financial Times, reddit, Stack Overflow and Vox and more have all done deals.

But the question remains: have they underestimated the value of their content, just as the music industry and Hollywood did before them? It’s tempting to think that with the current mania for AI, a $250 million deal over five years might be a win for a publisher like News Corp.¹

But history tells me to doubt it. Media companies rarely value their content accurately in the face of new technologies. My bet is on the AI companies knowing the true worth of this data and the publishers are selling them the very content they need to eventually supersede them. Publishers are giving away the keys to their own kingdom.

Disclosure: I work for a News Corp subsidiary. ↩︎

Apple's Vision Pro lacks a killer app

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 16:28:19 -0000

Financial Times °:

The lack of a “killer app” to encourage customers to pay upwards of $3,500 for an unproven new product is seen as a problem for Apple.

Apple said recently that there were “more than 2,000” apps available for its “spatial computing” device, five months after it debuted in the US.

That compares with more than 20,000 iPad apps that had been created by mid-2010, a few months after the tablet first went on sale, and around 10,000 iPhone apps by the end of 2008, the year the App Store launched.

The iPhone had third-party apps that made me want really want one. Angry Birds, Flipboard, Evernote, Shazam, Reeder, RunKeeper were all apps I couldn’t wait to try. There isn’t any for Vision Pro.

And that’s a problem. Especially when the iPhone 3G costed £200 (£358 in todays money). Vision Pro costs close to 10x that at £3,500.

Early data suggests that new content is arriving slowly. According to Appfigures, which tracks App Store listings, the number of new apps launched for the Vision Pro has fallen dramatically since January and February.

It certainly feels like there was some momentum for app releases, but that momentum feels a lot less now. You worry it’s going to come to a standstill.

Nearly 300 of the top iPhone developers, whose apps are downloaded more than 10mn times a year — including Google, Meta, Tencent, Amazon and Netflix — are yet to bring any of their software or services to Apple’s latest device.

Forget about innovative and wonderful apps from indie developers, Vision Pro doesn’t have available the behemoth ‘default’ apps you’d expect, like Netflix.

I get the sense that developers are tired of Apple’s 30% cut and strict app store rules and they’re showing them the finger. And it’s a finger that’s easy to raise when there’s so few Vision Pro’s out there.

Will the Vision Pro be a success? I don’t own one. But I got to briefly use one at work. It was magical. But there wasn’t much to do. And it was big and heavy. But give it five years and it will be lighter and there should be more apps.

It still has the has the anti-social issue that all current VR headsets have. But I’m hopeful, and believe that with time it will be added to the pantheon of devices you really need to own, alongside the computer and phone.

Or maybe it will forever remain a nice-to-have, like the Apple Watch. Who knows.

From Texas to Kenya: Biden's Ambitious Semiconductor Strategy

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 09:01:49 -0000

The New York Times ° reports on the Biden administration’s efforts to reshape the global semiconductor supply chain:

If the Biden administration had its way, far more electronic chips would be made in factories in, say, Texas or Arizona.

They would then be shipped to partner countries, like Costa Rica or Vietnam or Kenya, for final assembly and sent out into the world to run everything from refrigerators to supercomputers.

The US government wants to transform the world’s chip supply chain. It’s a two-pronged approach: lure foreign companies to set up shop in the States, and then find partner countries to handle the final assembly.

The goals are clear: blunt China’s growing influence in the semiconductor industry, reduce supply chain risks, and create jobs on home soil. It’s not just about chips either – they’re aiming to do the same with green tech like EV batteries and solar panels.

The numbers are impressive. Over $395 billion in semiconductor manufacturing investment and $405 billion in green tech and clean power have been attracted to the US in the past three years.

But it’s still going to be tough. East Asia still has the edge in cutting-edge tech, skilled workers, and lower costs. Taiwan alone produces more than 60% of the world’s chips and nearly all of the most advanced ones.

And the US semiconductor industry is facing a potential shortage of up to 90,000 workers in the next few years.

One of the most intriguing parts of this whole endeavour is the countries being brought into the fold. Costa Rica, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Vietnam, and soon Kenya. Not exactly the first places that spring to mind when you think “high-tech manufacturing”.

And if these efforts pay off, the US share of global chip manufacturing could rise from 10% to just 14% by 2032 – according to one report. Not exactly world domination. But it’s a start, I suppose.

The AI data gold rush meets its match: Cloudflare

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 10:58:49 -0000

TechCrunch °:

Cloudflare, the publicly traded cloud service provider, has launched a new, free tool to prevent bots from scraping websites hosted on its platform for data to train AI models.

“Customers don’t want AI bots visiting their websites, and especially those that do so dishonestly,” the company writes on its official blog. “We fear that some AI companies intent on circumventing rules to access content will persistently adapt to evade bot detection.”

Cloudflare’s stepping into the AI scraping fray with a new tool to block sneaky bots. The tool uses machine learning (ironically) to spot AI bots trying to masquerade as regular users.

It’s a timely move, given the recent kerfuffle over AI companies like Perplexity ° playing fast and loose with web scraping ethics.

AI companies really need to start being more respectful of content creators. Because I can feel the tide turning against them. More and more people and companies who publish on the web are becoming anti-AI.

After the story broke about Perplexity not respecting robots.txt ° it felt like loads of people started thinking about how to block AI web crawlers for the first time. Before that they hadn’t even thought about it.

Cloudflare’s tool might help. But the real solution needs to come via the AI industry taking a long, hard look at its data practices and quite simply, not being dicks.

SoundCloud doesn't let you fast forward without signing in

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0000

In the grand tradition of web hostility, SoundCloud has made a bold move.

They’ve decided that your time isn’t valuable. That your experience doesn’t matter.

Want to skip ahead 30 seconds in a podcast? Sorry, you’ll need to sign in for that privilege.

It’s essentially a throwback to the days of linear radio. No control. No choice. Just sit there and take it.

How many listeners will try to skip, hit the sign-in wall, and never return? It’s a textbook example of prioritising metrics over user experience.

I get it. They want more sign-ups. They’re chasing those “monthly active user” numbers.

But in the race for engagement they’ve forgotten the most important engagement of all – the one between the listener and the content they love.

If your sign-up growth strategy involves frustrating users, it’s time to rethink your strategy.

'Why AI can’t replace science'

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0000

FastCompany (Gary Smith):

Today, AI is being increasingly integrated into scientific discovery to accelerate research, helping scientists generate hypotheses, design experiments, gather and interpret large datasets, and write papers. But the reality is that science and AI have little in common and AI is unlikely to make science obsolete. The core of science is theoretical models that anyone can use to make reliable descriptions and predictions.

The core of AI, in contrast, is, as Anderson noted, data mining: ransacking large databases for statistical patterns.

The hype around AI replacing science is getting a bit out of hand. This article does a cracking job of puncturing that bubble a bit.

The core argument is spot on: science is about building theoretical models that anyone can use to make reliable predictions. AI, on the other hand, is just glorified data mining - finding patterns without necessarily understanding why they exist.

It’s not that AI isn’t useful in science - it clearly is. But it’s a tool, not a replacement for the scientific method. The real test is whether AI actually leads to new products and services being developed faster and cheaper. So far, the evidence is pretty thin on the ground.

The most telling quote comes from the CEO of an AI-powered drug company: “People are saying, AI will solve everything. They give you fancy words. We’ll ingest all of this longitudinal data and we’ll do latitudinal analysis. It’s all garbage. It’s just hype.”

AI might be changing the world, but let’s not get carried away. Science isn’t going anywhere.

Companies are cooling on the cloud

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0000

BBC News:

This year, software firm 37signals will see a profit boost of more than $1m (£790,000) from leaving the cloud.

“To be able to get that with such relatively modest changes to our business is astounding,” says co-owner and chief technology officer, David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH). “Seeing the bill on a weekly basis really radicalised me.”

37signals, the company behind Basecamp and Hey, has moved away from cloud services and seen a significant boost to their bottom line as a result.

For 37signals, owning hardware and using a shared data centre has proven substantially cheaper than renting cloud resources. But cost isn’t the only factor at play. DHH also raises concerns about the internet’s resilience when so much of it relies on just three major cloud providers.

This trend isn’t limited to 37signals. The BBC reports that 94% of large US organisations have repatriated some workloads from the cloud in the last three years, claiming issues like security, unexpected costs, and performance problems.

And if you’re a company using a lot of storage and bandwidth the cloud can be incredibly expensive. There’s a reason Netflix and Dropbox use AWS for things like metadata, but use their own servers for large files.

That said, cloud computing obviously isn’t going anywhere. The key takeaway comes from Mark Turner at Pulsant:

“The change leaders in the IT industry are now the people who are not saying cloud first, but are saying cloud when it fits. Five years ago, the change disruptors were cloud first, cloud first, cloud first.”

It seems we’re moving towards a more nuanced approach. The future might not be all-cloud or all on-premises, but a mix of both. A sensible evolution I’d say.

Figma's pulls its AI tool after it got caught copying Apple's Weather app

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Figma’s had to pull its new AI-powered app design tool after it started churning out clones of Apple’s weather app.

The ‘Make Design’ feature was quickly called out by someone on Twitter, showing the AI’s ‘original’ designs were dead ringers for Apple’s Weather app.

Figma CEO Dylan Field owned up to the blunder:

“Ultimately it is my fault for not insisting on a better QA process for this work and pushing our team hard to hit a deadline.”

It’s another reminder that AI-generated content is always a remix of its training data. But more often than not that ‘remix’ can be really be essentially a copy.

Figma reckons designers need new tools to “explore the option space of possibilities”. Let’s hope those tools can come up with something more original than a weather app that’s already on millions of iPhones.

404 Media has the full story.

Meta's AI image labeling: 'Made with AI' becomes 'AI Info'

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Meta’s having a bit of a wobble with its AI labelling. They’ve gone from “Made with AI” to “AI info” after photographers got a bit miffed about their regular photos being tagged as AI-generated. Apparently even basic editing tools were triggering the label.

The new tag’s supposed to be clearer, indicating that an image might have used AI tools in the editing process, rather than implying it’s entirely AI-generated.

But it’s still using the same detection tech, so if you’ve used something like Adobe’s Generative AI Fill, you might still get slapped with the label.

The whole thing’s a bit of a mess, really. We’ve got social networks trying to label AI content to inform users, editing tool makers adding AI features willy-nilly, and photographers caught in the middle doing their best to straddle the line between originality and AI.

It’s a classic case of technology outpacing policy.

TechCrunch has the full story.

Small Sites Want Analytics Too

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Like a lot of bloggers I have a small, but quiet audience. So I’m a fan of using analytics to see who’s visiting my site. It’s a delight to discover the various corners of the globe that have stumbled upon my writings.

However, most analytics tools don’t cater to this niche market. Google Analytics (GA) is the behemoth of tracking – it’s free but overkill, privacy-invading, and has a confusing web interface. Other choices are limited and often expensive, charging £10-£20/month, which isn’t justifiable for many small bloggers like myself.

As a result I simply haven’t used or cared about analytics for many years. The last time I regularly used one was when Mint was still alive.

That’s why I was thrilled to discover Tinylytics. Their free plan offers 1,000 page hits/month, which is perfect for many bloggers. And if you need more, their paid plan is a very reasonable $5/month – a price I’d gladly pay.

And one of the best features is that you can track up to 5 sites on the free plan and unlimited sites on the paid plan. As a web tinkerer with multiple small sites, this is a game-changer for me.

Also I love the page that explains why they offer a free plan, as it pretty much sums up what I’ve been saying:

A lot of analytics software is too expensive. Period. Heck, I just started a small side project or a personal site and I don’t want to shell out $9 - $14 per month just for analytics that looks pretty.
[…]
There are free options from big providers, but guess what… they’re probably using your data to better meet their own needs and most likely advertisers.
[…]
Having a free plan, from someone that deeply cares, and from an individual, not a huge corporate or venture funded company, is the best start you can give yourself without worrying what will happen with your data. It sits on my server, and is backed up hourly to an offsite encrypted backup. That’s it. Oh and you won’t break the bank either. I think that’s a win win.

If you’re a small blogger looking for an affordable, privacy-focused, and user-friendly analytics solution, I highly recommend giving Tinylytics a try.

Newsletters are the new blogs. And that's a good thing.

Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0000

I used to be a newsletter hater. My email inbox is a wasteland of work, spam and things I don’t care about. It’s not the place I go to when I want to be entertained or delighted. And why would I use email when I have RSS?

For those that don’t know, an RSS ‘feed’ is essentially a plain text version of a blog that an RSS ‘reader’ will then process and nicely display for you. It’s an ad-free, dedicated reading place with no tracking, offline functionality (once synced), and customisable font size, text width, etc.

It’s great. And during the heyday of blogging it was a popular way to read blogs as you didn’t have to visit a site to get new posts. But when Google Reader, the most popular RSS reader, shut down in 2013, it effectively killed off RSS for mainstream users. Its usage has been declining ever since, and blogging declined with it.

Meanwhile social media rose and people shifted from writing on blogs to Twitter. Gone were the days of a chronological list of blog posts, neatly organised in folders, and in its place was an endless feed, organised by opaque algorithms designed to maximise engagement at any cost. It was sad.

So when I started comparing newsletters as an alternative to social media rather than a replacement for RSS I began to see them more fondly – and even root for them. Because to encourage people to consume higher-quality writing and spend less time on social media, there needs to be a good, easy alternative. RSS isn’t it. Email is.

In many ways, email is similar to an RSS reader. Both have read/unread flags, folders/labels, less ads and tracking compared to the web, and customisable font sizes if you’re using an email client.

Then there’s the matter of writers getting paid. For years writers struggled to make money on the web. They could maybe make a bit of money via ads, sponsored posts or membership schemes. But they needed a lot more than 1000 true fans support themselves because there wasn’t a system or a culture for those fans to pay them. Email newsletters solve this problem, as every newsletter platform allows writers to charge subscribers. And with the rise of Substack and paid newsletters in general, people are more accustomed to paying.

Older web users like myself may still pine for the RSS glory days and look down on newsletters and email as a poor alternative. But the fact is they are a practical way for people to read and a viable way for writers to find an audience and get paid for their work.

How-to: Instantly make Google minimal and ad-free

Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 -0000

A simple trick that gives you the minimal Google search results of old — no ads, no ‘People Also Ask’ boxes, just a clean list of links.

You just need to add &udm=14 to the end of your Google search URL.

Though you don’t want to do that manually each time obviously. So in your browser create a ‘custom’ search engine and make it your default.

The URL you need to use is: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14

Here’s how to add custom search engines for:

Chrome. Guide.
Safari doesn’t let you. But you can just use a launcher like Alfred on your Mac instead.
Brave. Go to your settings page, add a ‘site search’ and then press the three dots on the right to make it your default.

via Tedium.co

Gemini 1.5 Pro accepts 1 million token prompts

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Every.to ° (Dan Shipper):

I got access to Gemini Pro 1.5 this week, a new private beta LLM from Google that is significantly better than previous models the company has released. (This is not the same as the publicly available version of Gemini that made headlines for refusing to create pictures of white people. That will be forgotten in a week; this will be relevant for months and years to come.)

Somehow, Google figured out how to build an AI model that can comfortably accept up to 1 million tokens with each prompt. For context, you could fit all of Eliezer Yudkowsky’s 1,967-page opus Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality into every message you send to Gemini.

1 million tokens is insane (tokens = words (kind of)). For context, OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo can accept 32,000 tokens.

To be fair, these days I run into GPT-4’s token limit rarely. My prompts aren’t that big. But a 1 million tokens opens up a new world. The author of the article says you could send Gemini a 2,000 page book as a prompt. And I could see myself using it for that use-case. Often I remember I read something but can’t find the passage. I could copy and paste the full book text from a .mobi file and ask Gemini for help.

I think it would also be useful for my notes. They’re all individual .md text files. But I’m sure there’s a tool out there that could combine them into one big file. And then I could send it to Gemini and ask questions.

The Disappearing Hum of Fans

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0000

These days I work in a big, open plan office with no assigned desks. So I’ve sat next to a lot of people. But more importantly I’ve set next to a lot of computers.

And I realised today that I’m yet to hear a single computer fan. Either because the laptop is an entirely fanless MacBook or a modern Windows one that has a quiet or rarely spun-up fan. It’s all so quiet out there. No more soft hums as a computer starts to work up a sweat. No more jet engine-like screeches as it hits high load. The only noise my office features these days is the clickity clack of keyboards, the chittity chat of people and the croaky coughs of winter flu.

Though there is one person still flying high the flag of the fan. And that’s me. I have a Intel based MacBook Pro with a fan that spins up often. But I feel like a bit of a dinosaur having a fan – it feels like coming into work with a typewriter.

I knew fans were officially finished when I had two people sat next to me ask “what’s that noise?!” with a confused look on their face when they heard my laptop. The sound of a fan was such a distant memory to them that they couldn’t even recognise it any more.

And fans should be a distance memory. A computer without a fan is quieter, cooler and simpler. But there will always be a part of me that’s nostalgic for them. I quite like hearing them whir up as a CPU load increases. There’s a pleasant mechanical quality to it (the constant spinning akin to the constant ticking of a mechanical watch). It’s an audible link to how hard your computer is working. And I will miss that sound when I eventually upgrade to a modern MacBook.

It’s Time to Let Go of ‘Unlimited’ Cloud Storage

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

For lots of people backing

title: “The Illusion of ‘Unlimited’ Cloud Storage: A Never-Ending Cycle of Disappointment” date: “2023-08-02” categories:

“cloud storage”
“technology” tags:
“unlimited storage”
“data backup”
“cloud services”

Unlimited Cloud Storage

Ah, the allure of ‘unlimited’ cloud storage! The promise of endless space to store all your files, photos, and memories without ever having to worry about running out of room. It sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it? Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but the reality of ‘unlimited’ cloud storage is far from what it seems.

Over the years, we’ve seen various cloud storage providers offer ‘unlimited’ plans, enticing users with the idea that they can upload as much data as they want. However, the sad truth is that these seemingly unlimited plans often turn out to be nothing more than an illusion. The cycle typically goes like this:

The Temptation: A cloud storage provider introduces an ‘unlimited’ storage plan, touting it as the ultimate solution for all your storage needs. Users are enticed by the promise of never having to worry about running out of space again.
The Abuse: As more users flock to these ‘unlimited’ plans, some inevitably take advantage of the offer and upload massive amounts of data, far beyond what the average user would consider reasonable.
The Restrictions: Faced with the abuse, the cloud storage provider starts feeling the strain on their infrastructure and the cost of accommodating excessive data usage. To curb abuse, they implement restrictions or caps on data storage, often without warning.
The Backlash: Users who had believed in the promise of ‘unlimited’ storage are suddenly confronted with the reality of limitations. The backlash is inevitable, as they feel deceived and let down by the provider’s false advertising.
The Cycle Repeats: As one provider’s ‘unlimited’ plan crumbles under the weight of abuse and restrictions, another provider might try their luck with a similar offering, only to face the same fate down the line.

This cycle has played out multiple times with different cloud storage services, including well-known names like Crashplan, Google Drive, and Dropbox. Each time, users who had grown reliant on the ‘unlimited’ promise were left scrambling to find alternatives when the limits kicked in.

So, what’s the lesson here? Is there any hope for those seeking a truly unlimited cloud storage solution? Well, the reality is that the concept of ‘unlimited’ storage in the cloud is inherently flawed. Cloud storage providers are businesses, and they need to manage their resources and costs effectively. Offering truly unlimited storage is simply not sustainable in the long run.

As a user, it’s essential to approach ‘unlimited’ storage plans with skepticism. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Instead of relying solely on cloud storage for your data, it’s wise to adopt a more balanced approach:

Local Storage: Keep essential files and data on your local devices, like your computer or external hard drives. This ensures quick access and reduces dependence on the cloud.
Selective Cloud Storage: Use the cloud for specific data that you genuinely need access to from anywhere. Prioritize the most critical files and documents for cloud storage.
Data Backup Strategy: Have a backup plan that includes both cloud and offline storage. Consider keeping a copy of your important data on physical media, like a portable hard drive, and store it off-site, such as at a trusted family member’s house.
Regular Review: Periodically review your cloud storage needs and make necessary adjustments. Remove files you no longer need, and consider archiving large files to free up space.

The bottom line is that ‘unlimited’ cloud storage is not a magical solution. It’s an illusion that often leads to disappointment and inconvenience when limitations are imposed. Embrace a well-rounded approach to data storage, and you’ll be better prepared to safeguard your precious files while avoiding the pitfalls of relying solely on the cloud’s false promises.

`— title: “The Mirage of ‘Unlimited’ Cloud Storage” date: “2023-08-02” categories:

“main”
“technology” tags:
“cloud storage”
“unlimited”
“data”

Data in the cloud

There’s a captivating allure to the concept of ‘unlimited’ - an endless banquet, where restrictions don’t exist, and you’re free to feast to your heart’s content. This is the dream peddled by various cloud storage services over the years, luring in customers with the promise of unrestricted space for their ever-growing data reserves. And, like a siren’s song, we’ve fallen for it time and time again.

Whether it’s Crashplan, Google Drive, or now Dropbox, the story follows a predictable arc. A company promises ‘unlimited’ storage. Users excitedly upload terabytes upon terabytes of data, a process that, depending on your internet connection, can take months or even years to complete. The company, predictably, finds its servers groaning under the weight of all this data and imposes restrictions or changes its pricing structure. Rinse and repeat.

So what happens next? You’re forced to move your colossal data hoard from one service to another, starting the tiresome process all over again. Sod’s law dictates that the moment you’ve finally uploaded everything, the service will announce changes to its ‘unlimited’ plan. Ironic, isn’t it?

The reality is this: ‘unlimited’ in the context of cloud storage is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. It’s a dream that cannot sustain itself. Storage isn’t free, nor is it cheap, especially when we’re talking about terabytes worth of data. Companies offering ‘unlimited’ plans are betting on the fact that most users won’t fully utilise the storage capacity. But when users start taking the ‘unlimited’ promise literally, the business model crumbles.

So, where does this leave you, a user with a significant amount of data that needs storing?

Your options are essentially twofold. You can either keep switching between different services every time they change their ‘unlimited’ plans - a data version of couch surfing. Or, you can choose a more sustainable solution. Pay for a fixed amount of cloud storage, based on your needs. This way, you’re only paying for what you use, and there’s no risk of having to hurriedly migrate your data when the company inevitably changes its policies.

Alternatively, consider going old school and storing your data locally. A one-off investment in a reliable hard drive, or better yet, a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device, will ensure you have complete control over your data. Remember to keep an off-site copy as well (maybe at your parents’ or a trusted friend’s house) for disaster recovery purposes.

In the end, the key takeaway here is simple. Don’t be seduced by the dream of ‘unlimited’ cloud storage. It’s a mirage that ultimately disappears just when you think you’ve reached it. Instead, plan for your storage needs realistically, considering both cost and convenience, and make an informed decision. It might not sound as appealing as ‘unlimited’, but it will save you from a whole lot of trouble in the long run.

In this digital age where data is a valuable asset, managing it shouldn’t be a game of musical chairs. Let’s stop buying into the ‘unlimited’ dream and start dealing in reality.

The Illusion of ‘Unlimited’ Cloud Storage: Why It’s Not Worth Buying Into

[by Elliot Clowes]

As technology advances, we are constantly being offered services that promise to make our lives easier. One such promise that has been tantalizing users for years is ‘unlimited’ cloud storage. The idea of having a bottomless pit in the sky where we can store all our data without worry seems too good to be true. And, as it turns out, it is.

Over the years, we’ve seen several companies offer ‘unlimited’ storage plans, only to have them abused by users and later impose restrictions or eliminate the ‘unlimited’ option altogether. Crashplan, Google Drive, Dropbox – the story remains the same. The dream of endless cloud storage is a mirage that disappears as we approach it.

So, why does this happen? Well, it’s simple economics. When a company offers ‘unlimited’ storage, some users will undoubtedly take advantage of it, uploading terabytes of data without hesitation. This puts a strain on the company’s infrastructure and incurs significant costs, making the ‘unlimited’ model unsustainable.

When the service provider realizes that the ‘unlimited’ plan is hurting their bottom line, they have two options: either shut it down entirely or impose limits, which effectively makes it no longer ‘unlimited.’ And guess what happens when that occurs? Users are forced to move on to the next ‘unlimited’ cloud storage provider, perpetuating the cycle.

So, what’s the lesson here? Should you abandon cloud storage altogether? Not necessarily. Cloud storage has its benefits, but you should be realistic about your expectations. Storing a few gigabytes or even a few hundred gigabytes might be reasonable, but trying to upload multiple terabytes is pushing the boundaries of what these services can sustain.

If you’re a power user with a massive amount of data to store, you’ll eventually find yourself hitting the limits or facing additional charges. And if you’re constantly switching from one service to another, it becomes a hassle to keep your data organized and accessible.

Instead, consider a more pragmatic approach. Keep your essential data in the cloud, but don’t rely solely on cloud storage for all your backups. Local backups, with an off-site copy at a trusted location like a parent’s house, can provide additional security and peace of mind.

Furthermore, by not overloading cloud storage services, you can ensure that you get a more stable and reliable experience. You won’t have to deal with unexpected restrictions or changes to your plan. Cloud storage should complement your backup strategy, not replace it entirely.

So, let’s be realistic and avoid falling for the illusion of ‘unlimited’ cloud storage. The dream may be tempting, but the reality is that it’s not worth the trouble. Embrace cloud storage for what it is – a convenient tool for certain data – but don’t put all your data eggs in one cloud basket. Keep it local and have a reliable off-site backup solution to ensure the safety and accessibility of your precious data. In the end, a balanced and thoughtful approach to data storage will save you headaches and disappointments in the long run.

Remember, in the world of cloud storage, ‘unlimited’ is just a marketing gimmick, and sooner or later, the limitations will catch up with you.

Lessons learned from making the front page of Hacker News and /r/technology

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0000

(AKA the legally required ‘my WordPress blog went down after making Hacker News’ post-mortem post)

A few days ago one of my posts made the front page of both Hacker News and /r/technology. It was a bit of a surprise to me. But it was an even bigger surprise to my $5 Linode VPS, which quickly collapsed under the strain.

Thankfully I was home and blogging when it went down, so I noticed right away and quickly tried to diagnose why on earth PHP was using so much CPU. But the idea that it was due to a traffic influx never even crossed my mind. So I spent the first 30 minutes poking around and troubleshooting.

Eventually though, I thought to myself what if it was due to traffic? So off I went to my Cloudflare dashboard. And sure enough, traffic!

But of course once again my silly self struck again and I didn’t think for a single moment that it was genuine, organic, human visits on my read-by-a-dozen-people blog. Nope, in my head this of course had to be a DDoS attack – it was the only logically answer! So I turned on Cloudflare’s “I’m Under Attack” mode and left it at that.

As I sat there though, I pondered what if I was perhaps Fireballed or something? (And this all had to be just pondered because at this point I had no analytics on my blog. It was good for the privacy of my twelve readers. But not so good when I was trying to work out where a load of traffic was coming from). So, I went to daringfireball.net. But nope, I hadn’t been linked to on there. Mmm.

I then rather pathetically typed my blog into Google News, seeing if that might shine any light. But nope.

Hacker News maybe? And… cook a cat! My latest post at the tippy top. Lots of actual humans on my blog! Panic mode engaged.

And also, how do I fix my downed blog?!

Well, it’s complicated by this blog ~~being~~ used to being powered by WordPress. Self-hosted WordPress blogs have a long and storied tradition of going down after making Hacker News – a tradition my blog shamefully continued. In a world of increasingly static sites which survive any amount traffic, the LAMP based WordPress blog – which goes down as easily as Twitter in 2008 – does look a tad dinosauric and inefficient in comparison.

Thankfully in the end though, fixing the problem (at least temporarily) was actually fairly simple thanks to the fluidity of the cloud. I just threw horsepower at the problem and simply resized my server (Linode did this in just over two minutes, which I found rather impressive).

Well, it’s now a week or so on. And now that the dust has settled, here are some lessons and curious things I discovered after making the front page of /r/technology and Hacker News.

How much traffic does /r/technology and Hacker News send?

This is a little tough to know exactly as during the first hour of being on HN my blog was mostly down. But by the looks of it – and rather surprisingly – HN sent many more visitors than /r/technology, a subreddit with over 11 million readers (though to be fair, my post made the top of HN and only sixth on reddit). Here was the number of unique visitors on day one:

Hacker News: circa 38,000+
/r/technology: 19,771

The majority of traffic is phone traffic

I’m sure this comes as no surprise to people who often look at the analytics of their website. But as someone who has only done so for the first time it certainly came as a surprise to me that 69% of the visitors I got were on their phone.

Whenever I get the yearly itch to redesign the look of this blog I do of course always ensure it looks okay on a phone, but it’s an afterthought for the most part. My priority instead is how it looks on a desktop. But apparently I’ve got this backwards. Nowadays the focus should evidently be very much be on the smart phone, as it’s how the majority of visitors will experience the site.

Is Cloudflare worth it?

As the owner of a rarely visited blog, having my site run through Cloudflare felt like storing a pencil sharpener in a shipping container. So it was fun to see it actually be called into action and have proper traffic to deliver.

Cloudflare did let me down in some ways. Its “Always Online” feature didn’t save the day. It’s supposed to show a cached copy of my blog if the server goes down. But it apparently relies on the Internet Archive’s slow-to-crawl Wayback Machine for this (no hate, Internet Archive! You’re an amazing free service and one of the best corners of the web and I love you). And as the blog post that made Hacker News was only a day or so old there wasn’t a cached copy to serve. Which was a shame.

But when it came to caching and serving files Cloudflare did very well, with a 95% hit rate. Of the 107 GB of bandwidth sent out, my origin server handled just 4 GB of it. CloudFlare did the rest. And I’m sure they delivered it all far faster to the non-European visitors than my London-based Linode would have.

And the thing is, I titled this section ‘is Cloudflare worth it?’ But like most individuals, I’m not on the paid plan – just the free tier. So yes, Cloudflare is very much worth it. Aside from a few lock-in concerns and its tendency to present too many CAPTCHAs to genuine visitors, in my mind it continues to be almost a requirement for any website to be proxied through Cloudflare. It’s a remarkable service and tool.

What sort of server do you need for your WordPress blog to survive a Hacker News onslaught?

Do you run a self-hosted Wordpress blog and want it to stay up and running if you make Hacker News and /r/technology? Well, it looks like a $5/mo VPS isn’t going to be enough.

My blog was hosted on a VPS with 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM when it went down. When things went south I upgraded to a $40/mo one with 4 vCPU and 8 GB RAM, which proved to be overkill – though I did want to guarantee no more downtime.

So how much compute do you need? Well I spent a lot of my time anxiously monitoring htop throughout all this. And from the looks of it the minimum requirement if you want to even stand a chance of your WordPress blog surviving a Hacker News beating is 2 vCPU with 2GB of RAM.

And this is presuming you have a WordPress caching plugin installed and CloudFlare handling the vast majority of static files. It also presumes you’re using Linode, who have pretty high-end CPUs (AMD EPYC 7601’s in my servers case). If you’re using an alternative with a less beefy CPU - like Digital Ocean or Vultr - you might need more than 2 vCPU to be safe.

You should also harden your WordPress site

It’s important to prepare your site for a potential influx of visitors. I know, I know, no one reads your blog. No one reads mine either. But for one day they did. And it was rather embarrassing when it immediately melted.

So be over prepared. If you self-host WordPress, you need to take it a little seriously, and some steps are likely required:

Install a caching plugin. There are many. I use WP Super Cache. You don’t stand a chance without one.
Use Cloudflare. It’s a very useful tool. It caches static content and speeds up your blog, as well as protecting you from bots.
If your blog does go down, you’ll want to know. UptimeRobot can check every five minutes and email you if there are any problems - and all for free.
Go overkill when it comes to hosting. I just presumed that because I wasn’t using some over-sold shared hosting service that my blog would be able to handle a sudden influx of traffic. But I was wrong. If I was just linked to by a fairly popular blog I might have been okay. But Hacker News and reddit is a different kettle of fish, and your site will likely go down if you end up being featured there. So sadly you’re just going to have to stump up the cash and pay the roughly $20/mo for a really good server if you want to self-host WordPress and survive a Hacker News-sized influx. That’s just the WordPress penalty I’m afraid.

With all that being said… bye-bye WordPress

After all this bother I’ve actually decided to do the cliche thing and say goodbye to WordPress and instead go the simple, static route. This blog is now powered by Hugo and hosted on Amazon S3. And thank goodness I no longer have to worry about MySQL databases, spammy plugins or wp-login.php attacks from Ukrainian hackers.

Finally

Finishing up. Overall it was really rather fun making Hacker News and /r/technology. And despite there being over 1,200 comments submitted across the two sites (apparently people like talking about their hatred for ads almost as much as they like talking about their hatred for Netflix subscription price increases), basically zero were mean to me – which was a nice surprise.

Also, hello to the new people who now follow the blog! Glad to have you here. Expect two posts a year :/

And one final note for older readers who subscribed via RSS: the RSS feed URL is no longer https://imlefthanded.com/feed/. It is now https://imlefthanded.com/index.xml. Apologies for the annoyance, but it’s probably best to update the URL for this blog in your feed reader of choice. Or you can get new updates via Twitter if you prefer. Thanks!

Adblocking People and Non-adblocking People Experience a Totally Different Web

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve just spent the past hour writing a blog post about why on earth certain websites have autoplaying videos that must cost them a fortune in bandwidth. And then it dawned on me. Video ads!

I’ve been browsing the web with an adblocker for so long that I’d totally forgotten about the existence of ads being spliced into video content. Ah, silly me.

But just to be sure ads were the reason the website could afford to run video, I turned off my adblocker for the first time in years and visited the same page/video I was investigating. And yhep there they were. Lots of ads being regularly shown at intervals throughout the video.

Also, a side effect of turning off my adblocker to check for video ads was that I was presented by general internet ads for the first time in a long time. And god was it awful. There they were, flashing and taking up large parcels of screen real estate (along with I’m sure doing their usual tracking creepiness). What an unpleasant experience.

According to this article 27% of American internet users use an adblocker (which seems a little high to me). But either way, the 73% are experiencing a very different internet. And it’s a far, far worse one.

The internet these days has lost a lot of its charm, and I personally don’t find it quite as fun to browse as I once did. But I think without the help of an adblocker I would find it much worse.

As far as I’m concerned an adblocker is a requirement. Install one if you haven’t already.

Also, if you’re interested, below is the post I wrote before I remembered about the existence of video advertising (a happier time).

One of the many plagues of the internet these days is random autoplaying videos on websites. And the magazines owned by Condé Nast are especially guilty of this.

And I’ve always wondered why they’ve become a thing. Put to one side the annoyance to the visitor (thankfully the audio is usually on mute by default at least) and how much video streaming might cost users in countries with high data charges. But what about the cost to the website itself?

I would imagine margins are pretty thin these days if you run a magazine website. Advertising revenue isn’t what is used to be and the money they make for each visitor is probably the lowest it has ever been.

So with that being the case, surely they would want to deliver each and every page as cheaply and efficiently as possible to protect those small margins? So why are they autoplaying videos, which are famously expensive to deliver?

For example, lets imagine you read this article on Vanity Fair which Instapaper says takes 19 minutes to read. And the autoplaying video (they appear to be chosen at random) is this one which happens to be around 19 minutes long. All of a sudden a 5MB page has turned into a 261MB one. (Also, the Vanity Fair / Condé Nast video player isn’t very smart. Unless you make it fullscreen the video player size on the page is tiny. So it would make sense to deliver the video at 360p or a similar small resolution until the user makes the video full-screen, to save on bandwidth. But it doesn’t. As far as I can tell, despite the player being around 200 pixels wide, the video quality quickly climbs to 1080p.)

I’m sure Condé Nast is a large customer for their CDN of choice and are on a pretty cheap tier with a low cost per GB delivered. But even so, again: video is expensive! And I simply can’t see how it’s worth their while to autoplay video on their site. Can anyone explain this to me?!

Reddit decides to allow COVID-19 misinformation

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0000

A few anti-vaccine subreddits have popped up on Reddit over the past months. And in response, a selection of other subreddits are calling on Reddit to remove these subreddits - which are often full of misinformation - from the platform.

Well, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman (spez) has responded, essentially with ’no':

Dissent is a part of Reddit and the foundation of democracy.

He does on to say:

Reddit is a place for open and authentic discussion and debate.

(This was said in a post which has the comments turned off.)

Censorship is always a very tricky subject. By and large I am dead against it on the web. I want it be open and free. However, rampant lies and the purposeful spreading of misinformation about something so vital as the COVID-19 vaccine does come rather close to needing some stronger vetting by Reddit, in my opinion.

Either way, Huffman’s rather blunt and heavy-handed statement was probably not the best way for Reddit to announce its decision to allow anti - and most likely wrong - COVID-19 vaccine viewpoints and I expect an updated statement for ‘clarity’ in a day or two.

The $5 VPS

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0000

The $5 VPS is amazing. Sure, the specs you get for that five bucks has been stagnant for a few years now, with both Linode and DigitalOcean offering you 1 vCPU, 25 GB SSD and 1 TB of bandwidth. But it’s still a great deal.

I remember the dark days when I relied on ‘shared hosting’. With companies like A Small Orange offering just 500 MB of storage and 5 GB of bandwidth for $7/mo (and don’t worry that includes unlimited just one website). Or Dreamhost that offered unlimited everything for $3.95/mo! With 59.9999% uptime guaranteed!

A good VPS is the promised land in comparison. A little virtual box that you can do what you want with. And it’s surprisingly powerful. Each time I launch a new website I ponder whether it’s time to maybe spin up a new VPS for it. So I look at my Linode control panel and laugh at how little resources are being used. I mean I’m not exactly running video hosting services or anything like that. Just a dozen or so sites - mostly WordPress based - with a couple thousand hits a day. But I just find it hilarious that the CPU hovers at around 1.5%.

So here’s to you $5 VPS!

The Apple Era

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0000

I realised something today. The world is riddled with complicated questions with even more complicated answers. And it can feel crippling at times. But when it comes to computers, phones, smart watches, smart headphones and tablets there’s a simple answer to the question of what to buy: Apple.

We’re living in the Apple era. The Apple brand is universal and unparalleled. Their output is by far the most innovative and beautiful. They’re so dominant that its rivals often seem laughable in comparison. And whilst in certain details they aren’t always the best, on the whole they are.

In fact I’m struggling to think of a single comparative company in history. All the ones that come to mind dominated through monopoly, isolation or acquirement of rivals, not through technical brilliance.

I’m no Apple cultist (half my blog posts feel like they’re moans about the minutiae of Apple’s latest ‘failings’) and I say all this not to gush. But I say it simply because it’s nice not to have to waste time and thought about the subject of what brand to buy. 9 times out of 10 - if I can afford it - Apple is the answer. So I’m free to spend my brain power elsewhere on unsolved issues like the perfect ratio of cheese to cracker.

Author Ben Schott on COVID-19 and New York City

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0000

If it’s too soon to know the meaning of the French Revolution, it’s too soon to know the meaning of Covid-19. But since we still greet sneezes with the 14th-century Black Death prayer ‘Bless you’, it’s possible a few new norms will emerge. Some predict the decline of business travel, others the demise of handshakes. It seems more likely that every household will, from this day hence, maintain a dusty supply of hand sanitiser, paper masks, and emergency loo-rolls. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll remember just how truly essential our essential workers are. #

'Corbynism Will Outlast Jeremy Corbyn'

Sun, 05 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0000

Corbyn’s personality was always lacking. He wasn’t unlikeable, but was also not likeable either. And now he’s finally no longer leader of the Labour party. His slow, drawn-out political death has been completed. But Tom McTague in the Atlantic argues that Corbyn’s ideas will outlive the man himself, much in the same way Barry Goldwater did in the 1960’s on the American right with his brand of more radical conservatism ’that would culminate in Ronald Reagan’s 1980 victory':

Sanders and Corbyn fancied themselves to be the new Reagans (or Margaret Thatchers) in terms of the imprint they would leave on their countries, but were not up to the task. The question to haunt the conservative right is, what happens if these two historically peculiar leaders aren’t the Reagans of their movements, but the Goldwaters? And what happens if—or when—the left finally finds its Reagan?" #

[Corbyn has been replaced by Keir Starmer. Want to acquaint yourself with him? The Spectator has a good piece.]

'Why the internet didn’t break'

Sun, 05 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0000

A nice little explanation of why the internet was always going to be just fine during the COVID-19 crisis despite the massive spike in demand.

But the main takeaway from the article is that there could be 42 million Americans without broadband. And that’s not good enough:

Three weeks ago, everyone’s point of reference for high-speed broadband networks was the one-way delivery of video services such as Netflix. Henceforth, broadband will be recognized for what it is: a critical two-way connection that can no longer be considered a luxury. #

'They Were Opposed To Government Surveillance. Then The Coronavirus Pandemic Began.'

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

Good follow up read in BuzzFeed.News in the same vein of the Maciej Cegłowski article I linked to yesterday.

Is the coronavirus the kind of emergency that requires setting aside otherwise sacrosanct commitments to privacy and civil liberties? Or like the 9/11 attacks before it, does it mark a moment in which panicked Americans will accept new erosions on their freedoms, only to regret it when the immediate danger recedes?

Many countries have already taken creepy steps:

In South Korea, the government is mapping the movements of COVID-19 patients using data from mobile carriers, credit card companies, and the Institute of Public Health and Environment. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the country’s internal security agency to tap into a previously undisclosed cache of cellphone data to trace the movements of infected persons in that country and in the West Bank. And in the Indian state of Karnataka, the government is requiring people in lockdown to send it selfies every hour to prove they are staying home.

But the real question is less about what elements of digital privacy we as a society are willing to trade in right now to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and more about wether we’ll ever get them back.

The article ends with this:

Sanchez worried that the coronavirus, like the war on terror, is an open-ended threat with no clear end — inviting opportunities for those surveillance measures to be abused long after the threat has passed. In the same week that he spoke, the US Senate voted to extend until June the FBI’s expanded powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, originally passed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks 19 years ago.

I think it’s safe to presume that anything we lose will never be returned.

'DJI Won the Drone Wars, and Now It’s Paying the Price'

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

[DJI CEO, Frank Wang] is perhaps the most private tech CEO of them all, shunning all but a handful of media requests over his 14 years as DJI’s boss and figurehead. He stoodup a planned interview for this story twice, leaving his representatives to apologize and explain that they just never quite know what the man will do. In fact, the rumor going around DJI’s press office is that Wang might not speak to a reporter ever again. […] Wang once threatened to dock the pay of a public-relations executive because Wang had received too much attention in the media. […] DJI’s hiring standards are famously strict… Those who seem engineering-focused enough eventually face a hands-on challenge: soldering drone components together. Until recently, even potential sales and marketing hires were asked to complete this task. The tests don’t stop once an employee is hired. DJI has become infamous for its competitive atmosphere. The company separates workers into groups and challenges them to come up with rival takes on a new product. The winning group gets the glory of seeing its ideas come to market; the losers must help make that happen. Employees are often asked to judge one another in surveys and to rate the performance of other departments. This data is then used to help decide salaries. #

The article ends a little abruptly, but it’s still worth your time.

China wants to create a whole new goverment-controlled internet

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

At the gathering, held at the International Telecommunications Union, a UN agency that establishes common global standards for technologies, they presented a simple PowerPoint. It didn’t bother with much detail on how this new network would work, or what specific problem it was solving. Instead, it was peppered with images of futuristic technologies, from life-size holograms to self-driving cars. The idea was to illustrate that the current internet is a relic that has reached the limits of its technical prowess. It was time, Huawei proposed, for a new global network with a top-down design, and the Chinese should be the ones to build it. #

This is scary:

China is already in the process of building a credit-scoring system for its population, based on online and offline behaviour and past “misdemeanours”, the delegation member noted. “So if somebody’s social credit score dipped below a certain amount because they were posting on social media too much, you could actually prevent that phone from connecting to the network.”

Note: the Finanical Times’ paywall and website is awful. They even inject this when you copy and paste something:

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.

So I’ve linked to a cached copy of the article. But if want you can read it at its original URL here.

Developers: Show Users What You're Working On

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

Today I stumbled on the website for a blogging engine called Blot that I’d never heard of before. The general design of the site and the fact that it ‘turns a folder into a blog’ made me think it was probably created by some dude about five years ago and is now probably long abandoned.

But while it turns out that it is about five years old and is also made by just some dude it most certainly isn’t abandoned. Because after some more poking I found a really cool ‘news’ page. Essentially it’s a mirror of the developers to do list along with their recently completed tasks. It’s a simple but wonderful idea and does a great job of quietly broadcasting the hard work of the developer and signals to users that the service is still very much in development. I wish more services and software did something similar. And Blot itself looks cool. Check it out.

How will coronavirus effect...

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

the recreational drug market? Will cross border drug movement increase and how will production change?
dog ownership? Now is a good time to have a dog. From both the human and canine perspectives.
people with mental health issues? Being stuck indoors is going to massively alter even the mostly mentally strong.
climate change? Will the world start to focus on it more?
travel post-virus? Will there be a boom as people take on a carpe diem attitude in the years following coronavirus?
the number of children born? Couples don’t have a lot else to do.
long term success of school children? Will being essentially home schooled be good or bad for the education and development for this current crop of children?
advancement of technology? Will this be the final nail in the coffin of Moore’s law?
music, writing and other creative outputs? How much will free time increase them?
gym-based exercise? Will outdoor activities like running and cycling experience more than just a short term uptake as some people discover their joys and benefits for the first time?
the number of people who start ‘prepping’ and off grid living? At the very least I expect the average homes pantry and freezer size to increase post-virus.
conflict around the world? Will more than just a brief pause happen? Will many essentially fizzle out? Or will tensions actually increase?
society as a whole when so many elderly are likely to die? What will we lose?
future preparedness? Will this be treated as a dress rehearsal for potentially more devestating pandemics in the future or will it be treated as more of a final test unlikely to happen again this century?
minimum wage? Will ‘unskilled’ labour be more highly valued and appreciated going forward?
journalism? Will their perceived value in society increase due to the large coronavirus-based output and more people reading their (digital only) work?
air travel? Is this the end of budget airlines? Will airports and airlines be nationalised?
the quality of roads? Will governments take advantage of the lack of cars on the road and rebuild and update major motorways?
alchohol consumption? And how many new alcoholics will be created by citizens having no work, more anxiety and little else to do? As well as the chance for nightly drinking to become a habit.
dating and sex? Are new relationships totally on hold, or will pen-pal and video dating take over? Will single people desperate for sex help spread coronavirus? Will goverments ban one-night stands?
sleep patterns? With less work to wake up for will people become more in tune with their natural circadian rhythm?
the price of oil? How low will the per-barrel cost go?
divorces? Will they increase by as much as I expect?
will siblings grow closer or further apart?
traditional broadcast television? Will every channel just air reruns as they can no longer make new programming?
christmas? How many less presents will be under the tree at the end of 2020?
endangered animals? Will their numbers start to recover? Or as those who protect them disappear into their homes will poachers risk coronavirus infection for financial reward?
the restaurant industry? How many can actually wait out the financial storm?
sport? Will this just be a year unrecorded in sports history?
doctors and nurses long term? With so many potentially dying will there be a massive shortage over the next decade?
food consumption? Will it force the move to less intensive farming? How will vegans and meat eaters be effected differently?
the price of chickens? If eggs are hard to come by in supermarkets will people start selling their back garden chickens for thousands of pounds?
the flu long-term? Will peoples potentially better hygiene habits stop the flu being as dangerous as it once was?
remote working? Will it bring about a great change to the average office workplace?
the ability for women to get abortions?
air quality? Will the lack of cars make a massive long term difference?
gardens? With so much time on their hands will people decend upon their gardens for fresh air and start to pamper them into beautiful oblivion? Or will they become essential food growing areas and become like allotments?
drone deliveries? Will it finally become more than just a publicity stunt and actually be a viable delivery option?
domestic abuse? Many sufferers are now stuck in their homes with their abusers with no where to go.
economies world wide? Are we entering a decade long depression? How can poorer countries survive when they can’t borrow from other wealthier countries who have taken on massive debts themselves?
civil unrest? Will the national lockdowns go on so long that one day the public will have enough, spill onto the streets, and riot?

I have a lot of questions. But sadly not a lot of answers. We will just have to wait and see…

Symptom of COVID-19 may be loss of smell

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

“Almost everybody who is hospitalized has this same story,” said Dr. Marco Metra, chief of the cardiology department at the main hospital in Brescia, where 700 of 1,200 inpatients have the coronavirus. “You ask about the patient’s wife or husband. And the patient says, ‘My wife has just lost her smell and taste but otherwise she is well.’ So she is likely infected, and she is spreading it with a very mild form.” […] Hendrik Streeck, a German virologist from the University of Bonn who went from house to house in the country’s Heinsberg district to interview coronavirus patients, has said in interviews that at least two-thirds of the more than 100 he talked to with mild disease reported experiencing loss of smell and taste lasting several days. #

A UK Health Minister Nadine Dorries who had COVID-19 tweeted about not being able to smell or taste too.

More coverage.

Toilet Paper Shortages in 1940 and 2020

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

I’m currently reading The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson. It’s great (I might post some more extracts in the coming days) and it feels like a particularly appropriate read during the ongoing coronavirus crisis as the book focuses a lot on the the day-to-day realities of the Blitz, which all too often are starting to vaguely resemble what people are currently going through today. Example in point, toilet paper shortages:

Many other products, while not rationed, were nonetheless in short supply. A visiting American found that he could buy chocolate cake and a lemon meringue pie at Selfridges, but cocoa was impossible to find. Shortages made some realms of hygiene more problematic. Women found tampons increasingly difficult to acquire. At least one brand of toilet paper was also in perilously short supply, as the king himself discovered. He managed to sidestep this particular scarcity by arranging shipments direct from the British embassy in Washington, D.C. With kingly discretion, he wrote to his ambassador, “We are getting short of a certain type of paper which is made in America and is unprocurable here. A packet or two of 500 sheets at intervals would be most acceptable. You will understand this and its name begins with B!!!” The paper in question was identified by historian Andrew Roberts as Bromo soft lavatory paper.

'Apple Acknowledges Personal Hotspot Issues'

Sun, 22 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

MacRumors:

In an internal document distributed to Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, obtained by MacRumors, Apple has acknowledged that some iOS 13 or iPadOS 13 users may experience issues with Personal Hotspot.

I have had nothing but problems with Personal Hotspot for a long time. Long before iOS 13. And that’s actually a big problem because when I turn it on it’s because I can’t find Wi-Fi anywhere and I really need it to just bloody work right now. But all too often it fails. An iPhone is increasingly a digital Swiss Army knife and Personal Hotspot is an important part of that. It has to work 100% of the time. Imagine if Apple Pay didn’t work every single time?

'Comfort food sales rise amid coronavirus self-isolation orders'

Sun, 22 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

In the week that ended March 14, popcorn sales were up 48%, pretzels up 47% and potato chips up 30% compared to a year earlier, according to Nielsen data cited by the outlet. “People are retreating back into comfort habits,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jennifer Bartashus. #

I think this is less about these items being ‘comfort food’ and more about them having a long shelf life. Lots of shops currently have very limited frozen goods and most people only have so much fridge and freezer space so buying items you can store at room temperature for a long time makes sense. I’m making sure I have plenty of nuts, tuna and tinned meats and vegetables.

'No, coronavirus isn’t going to break the internet'

Sat, 21 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

Wired:

In response to concerns about networks not being able to cope with the demands being placed on them, BT has said it has “confidence” that it will be more than able to cope with people spending more time at home. The group says the highest peak its ever seen in demand hit 17.5Tb/s – during coronavirus there’s been a 35-65 per cent increase in daytime traffic but the highest peak has only been 7.5Tb/s.

And Netflix still isn’t delivering capped streams to me, by the way.

'Netflix to Cut European Traffic by 25% Due to Coronavirus'

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

Reuters:

Netflix said on Thursday it would reduce its bit rates across all its streams in Europe, in effect cutting traffic on its European networks by 25% to preserve the smooth functioning of the internet during the coronavirus crisis. The move came after talks between European Union industry chief Thierry Breton and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. Breton had a day earlier urged the video streaming service to downgrade the quality of its video to avoid internet gridlock.

Pure PR, I suspect. I’m sure overall internet traffic has increased recently, but I doubt peak traffic has by much. And of all the services least likely to suffer due to overloaded networks, it’s Netflix. They frequently stress test their services and are directly connected to basically every internet exchange (IX) worldwide thanks to their Open Connect programme. This is just helping hand syndrome. Netflix wants to appear like it is ‘doing its part’.

I just went on Netflix and it’s not currently throttled. I’m being delivered full-fat 1080p streams. So either it’s not in place yet or they’re just getting rid of 4K.

Rishi Sunak's 80% + Universal Basic Income

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

Today the UK declared the closure of cafes, pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms and leisure centres. And to help the employees of the affected industries the Chancellor of the Exchequer - Rishi Sunak - announced that the government will pay 80% of their salary for the foreseeable future so that they neither lose their jobs or struggle too much financially. It’s a bold and expensive move that will cost the taxpayer hundreds of billions of pounds and take decades to pay off. But I think it’s the right move.

And after watching the press conference for these announcements I turned to my Mum and said that Rishi Sunak is the only high-level UK politician currently responding appropriately and sensibly during the coronavirus crisis. James Kirkup of the Spectator agrees:

In some ways, it’s easy and even important to keep Rishi Sunak’s performance in announcing his coronavirus job retention scheme in perspective. It should, after all, be pretty easy to be popular in politics when you are offering to spend literally limitless amounts of money protecting people from economic hardship. […] But even taking those things into account, I still consider Sunak’s performance one of the most impressive I’ve seen from a British politician in more than 20 years in and around Westminster.

With so many governments helping out their citizens finanically at the moment universal basic income (UBI) has appeared in the news several times. I’m still unconvinced by some of the maths and theory behind UBI but I do wonder if the coronavirus crisis will be the catalyst for more UBI adoption worldwide in the same way that the catalyst for the UK’s universal health care - the NHS - was World War II.

Seneca's Morning Routine

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve been re-reading “Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration, and Get to Work” recently. It’s a wonderful collection of the daily routines of some of historys most iconic people. One person not in the book though? The Stoic philosopher Seneca. So here’s his morning routine according to his Letter LXXXIII.

He begins his day with some exercise. Usually a run with his trainer/slave Pharius. Only for a small amount of time though because as an older man he “only has to stir and is weary.”

After that he takes a plunge into his cold swimming pool.

Next, it’s time for breakfast and he has the most uncomplicated one imaginable: bread. He likes its simplicity, rejoicing that he doesn’t even have to lay the table.

Fitness, food, and bathing taken care of he follows them up with a short nap.

His morning routine is now over and the rest of his day is “wholly divided between rest and reading.”

'Why Britain’s Coronavirus Strategy is Literally One of the Most Insane Things in Modern History'

Sat, 14 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

Did you see a small problem between the British government’s definition of herd immunity…and what it actually is? Herd immunity is — the real thing — what happens after enough members of a population have been vaccinated. It’s not…just letting an entire nation be rampaged by a lethal virus for which there’s no vaccine. […] The human species never developed “herd immunity” to polio or smallpox or any virus, really — ever, despite millennia of death and illness and misery. Why not? Because herd immunity depends on vaccines. We vaccinate a large number of people, and then all of us are protected, because transmission rates are reduced (among other things.) Let me make the point again. The human race never developed herd immunity to a lethal virus, precisely because herd immunity is not something that emerges naturally. What happens, instead, when we let a virus simply take its course? What happened with smallpox and polio: they just rampage through populations, forever.

COVID-19

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0000

Short article over at the Specator: Why Britain Isn’t Opting for a Coronavirus Lockdown

Patrick Vallance, the Chief Scientific Officer, explained that the aim is to try and delay the peak of the disease and then stretch it out over a longer period so the NHS is better able to deal with it. […] Chris Witty, the Chief Medical Officer, stressed that one of the reasons the UK was not moving to more dramatic measures – for example, telling all old people to self-isolate – was that if the UK moved now, then the public would tire of that at just the wrong moment. Some people argue that people will be happy to do whatever it takes to avoid this virus. But staying home for three months is no small thing and it is not hard to believe that people would tire of this in time.

I personally believe Britain needs to have a massive ‘over-reaction’. Now. Only workers in the utilities, food (supermarkets, not restaurants) and other essential industries should be working. Everyone else needs to stay at home. We can either suffer briefly now for two weeks as a nation or drag this misery out for the rest of the year and and cause a lot more deaths. Even now, in this late hour, everyone I’ve spoken to about Coronavirus is treating it as little more than a joke or at worst just a minor inconvience. In the past 24 hours or so some high-profile names have tested positive for the virus which should hopefully aid public awareness of how dangerous this all is though.

I somewhat fortunately happen to follow a guy on Twitter who has from the start taken a very keen interest in Choronavirus and its spread. And when he said on February 22nd that “we give the chance of pandemic 54% to 75%” I started to take it very seriously. I haven’t been to the gym since and have gotten all my exercise from rural walking and cycling. Sadly I still have to work, but aside from that the only other place I go is to the supermarket. And I’ve been going as soon as they open as it’s very quiet and less hands will have likely fondled my food. And if it’s not protected by a bag I don’t eat it. No more loose fruit or vegetables.

Aside: I don’t know when the Spectator website got a redesign, but it’s both functional and stunning.

The Flashing Webpages

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve noticed more and more websites now only loading images on a page when you scroll to down to them. It’s called ‘Lazy Loading’ and I hate it. I’m all for saving bandwidth and improving page loading times but this trend is incredibly annoying. Scrolling down a page once ’loaded’ should be smooth. But instead images flash at you as they load while you scroll. A terrible experience. Look at the Kottke homepage for an example of this. It’s a good blog with plenty of nice images and videos. But exploring it is miserable thanks to this delayed image loading ‘feature’.

.txt

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0000

The Archive

I have a bad memory. If I don’t jot something down then I’m going to forget it. Even if it’s a task that I need to do in just ten minutes time I still jot it down.

And I’ve used a plethora of tools for this task. But several years ago I just settled upon individual text files for each task. Simple. But this turned my plain text folder into an out of control, bloated monster. It became so unwieldy that my usual digitally tidy self just gave up and left it be. I was no longer concerned with tagging, naming, and filing. And as a result fairly soon it morphed from a to-do list into an everything-bucket. Any piece of digital text got put into an individual .txt file. Recipes, book highlights, web articles, diary entries, cockney slang, album reviews, wine inventory, places visited, etc.

And it’s been this way for quite a while. A 12.59 MB pile of 5000+ plain text files. But it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done in my digital life. Suffocated by my need for things to be organised I rarely actually just got stuff down. Now everything gets written down, no matter how obviously inconsequential it may seem at the time.

Everything gets written down. Nothing gets forgotten.

The Banality of Restrained Musical Genius

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve spent the morning listening through The Beatles’ first four albums for the first time in a long time. It’s amazing how you can feel how talented they are but also how boring it all so often is. Four albums of 8/10 pop songs all around two minutes in length. Songs so good, but so similar, that they all sort of blur into one another. It’s actually tiring to listen to back-to-back. And I like how “Eight Days A Week” finally hints to something a bit more musically expansive in the opening few seconds before quickly turning into another bog-standard Beatles pop song.

Creepy Pepys

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0000

Interesting article on Samuel Pepys and some of the more seedy elements of his diary. I still haven’t gotten around to reading his famous diary yet, but I was broadly aware of his creepiness, and he would often spring immediately to my mind when I’d hear someone say “men use to be much more gentlemanly and chivalrous back in the day”. However I didn’t realise he went quite this far:

In an incident that is difficult to interpret as anything but rape, Pepys recounts entering the home of a ship’s carpenter—a man very much under his control, since Pepys was a naval official—and noting that, after a struggle, “finally I had my will of her.” His only recorded regret is “a mighty pain” in his finger, which he injured during the apparent assault. The victim, identified only as Mrs. Bagwell, had been instructed to offer herself to Pepys by her husband, who thought it would help his advancement. “The story,” notes Tomalin, “is a shameful one of a woman used by two bullies: her husband, hoping for promotion, and Pepys, who was to arrange it. Pepys did not present it in quite those terms, but it is clearly how it was.”

On a more light-hearted note:

Living well, in Pepys’s household, meant accumulating an extensive personal library, which included books, manuscripts, and English ballads. His passion for collecting was part of a lifestyle that depended on steady infusions of cash. Money—the getting of it, the spending of it, the lack of it—is an abiding theme of his diary. […] On December 31, 1661, like many a person then and now facing the post-Christmas blahs, he wonders whether he spent too much, and whether the New Year might be time for fiscal restraint, and restraint in general. “I have newly taken a solemn oath about abstaining from plays and wine,” he writes.

I know the feeling Samuel. My diary often has a similar theme.

Minor MacBook Pro Refresh

Wed, 22 May 2019 00:00:00 -0000

Apple has announced a slightly updated MacBook Pro.

Jason Snell (Six Colors):

These updates don’t bring any changes to the exterior of the MacBook Pro — it’s the same base design introduced in late 2016 — but they do bring 9th-generation Intel processors with up to eight cores to the MacBook Pro for the first time. There’s also been yet another tweak to the controversial butterfly keyboard Apple first introduced in 2015.

I’ve had to buy this (I went with the 15-inch base model). My mid-2012 MacBook Pro died a few months back and I’ve been waiting for an update to the lineup before biting the bullet. I was hoping for a whole new refresh with ARM chips. But that was always a little hopeful.

But the main reason I didn’t go out and buy a new one straightway is due to the unreliable butterfly keyboards on this current generation of MacBook Pro’s. I wasn’t waiting for a refresh for that sweet new industrial design. I was waiting simply because I wanted a keyboard that would work reliably.

This update does have an ‘updated’ keyboard though. John Gruber (Daring Fireball) has some info:

First, these new MacBook Pros still have the third-generation butterfly-switch keyboard that debuted with last July’s updated MacBook Pros. But Apple has changed the mechanism under the hood, using a new material for at least one of the components in these switches. The purpose of this change is specifically to increase the reliability of the keyboards. Apple emphasized to me their usual line that the “vast majority” of users have no problem with these keyboards, but they acknowledge that some users do and say they take it very seriously.

Fingers crossed that his update fixes a lot of the keyboard issues. But the simple, sad truth is this: a fancy MacBook Pro is being delivered to my house tomorrow and I’m more apprehensive than excited. Will this new machine last 6 years like my old one? We’ll see.

12 Steps To Drink Well and Not Get a Hangover

Sat, 11 May 2019 00:00:00 -0000

I turned 27 this year. And almost overnight I started to get bad hangovers whenever I drank more than a beer or two. Gone were the years of my next day invincibility. So I’ve been forced to develop a system. It helps me. Maybe it can help you too, my fellow old people.

Step 1 - You might still feel like crap

Accept the fact that you’re going to have to slightly write off a day after drinking. Despite taking precautions there’s still a chance you might feel pretty rough the day after drinking. So don’t drink if you have to work the next day. Save it for those sacred days off.

Step 2 - You will get fat

You’re probably going to drink and eat 2000+ of excess calories on your drinking nights. Accept this.

Step 3 - Don’t start too late

You’ve had a long day of work. You get home late and now you just want to unwind and get plastered. Well, I wouldn’t. It’s bed time in just a few hours and that’s not enough time to get drunk and also take the necessary recovery steps for a hangover-free tomorrow. Save it for another day. A special day. A drinking day.

Step 4 - Learn to get less drunk

This meant seem silly, but after years of chasing the dragon your expectations of drunkenness and your ’tolerance’ to booze has probably gone up. Spend some time getting in touch with the taste of alcohol again and the more subtle elements of its intoxicating effects. Spend a month or two every now and then just getting a little tipsy and not totally plastered. I’d recommend sticking to drinks that you really like the taste of so you can sip and savour the taste itself, not just its stuporing results.

Step 5 - Please line your stomach

Eat. Eat well. Eat a lot. And close to when you start drinking. I eat my meal 45 minutes before I begin imbibing. The first hour or so of drinking will feel a little too sober, but you’ll be thankful later. And trust me, you will still get drunk. So relax.

Step 6 - Track that booze

This might seem a little too OCD and geeky for some of you, but I recommend tracking how much you drink. I use the app Boozed?. You enter what you drink and it gives you an estimated BAC (learn about how BAC effects you).

Step 7 - Set Timers

Again, maybe a little too over the top. But this step is absolutely vital for me. In certain situations it can be very easy to drink too fast. For each drink (175ml wine, 500ml beer, or 50ml spirits) I set a countdown on my phone for 30 minutes (experiment until you find your correct timer length) and I’m not allowed to get another drink until the timer ends.

Step 8 - Drink water between drinks

I know this is an annoying step, but it’s an important one. Between every alcoholic drink consume 250-400ml of water to stay hydrated. This can be potentially harder to stick to if you’re not drinking at home. So if you’re in a club and you know you’re not going to be that guy asking for a tap water at the bar maybe drink a G&T and ask for extra tonic water instead to up the amount of non-alcoholic liquid you’re getting.

Step 9 - Skip that last drink, drink more water instead

So the night is winding down and bed/home time is approaching and its last order. Well don’t make that last order. That final drink might just push you into hangover territory and by the time the alcohol actually enters your bloodstream you’re probably going to be home or asleep anyway. So skip that last drink my friend and power down some water instead. And it’s better to drink that water now than just before bed anyway, otherwise you’ll be waking up to pee it out in the middle of the night.

Step 10 - Eat before bed

I generally try to keep it mildly healthy most of the time and will munch on a banana or two and maybe some mixed nuts. But let’s be honest here, that kebab looks bloody good. Either way, eat! If you have a choice between eating before or after drinking though always eat before.

Step 11 - Eat upon waking

Don’t skip breakfast please. And this isn’t time for your Instagram-worthy bowl of Chia seeds. Get some disgusting saturated fat down your gullet and feel sorry for yourself like you’re supposed to.

Step 12 - Accept that alcohol is very bad for you

This is my final step and my goodbye. Don’t be ignorant. Please accept that alcohol is very bad for you. It aids violence, mental illness, sexual promiscuity and sexual dysfunction (a cruel combination), over eating (until alcoholism takes ahold later in life and then you can barely stomach a slice of bread), a myriad of diseases and cancers, and is also expensive. So be like Winston Churchill and get more out of drinking than it gets out of you. Think alcoholism isn’t too much of a big deal? Here’s a reddit comment by an alcoholic describing his ailments due to drink.

More:

Drinking beer? Buy some non-alcoholic beer too and have one after every second alcoholic beer. Trick yourself into drinking less.
Some people swear by taking B-Vitamins before bed. I’ve never tried this though.
Maybe just don’t drink? If every time you drink you end up in trouble or you get hangovers after just three drinks maybe your hell raising days are over. Or maybe you have Gilbert’s syndrome or something.
Only drink with a sugar-free mixer. It gets you drunker and won’t give you full-blown diabetes.
Remember, you’re not a heavy drinker, you’re a pintman.

Note: Science doesn’t agree with a lot of my points. We still don’t know how to cure hangovers. The only really proven way to feel better the next day is to quite simply drink less. So a lot of my steps are pseudoscience at best. But hey, it works for me. Try it and then email me with your results.

I’ll leave you with this advice by Christopher Hitchens on drinking:

[…] Of course, watching the clock for the start-time is probably a bad sign, but here are some simple pieces of advice for the young. Don’t drink on an empty stomach: the main point of the refreshment is the enhancement of food. Don’t drink if you have the blues: it’s a junk cure. Drink when you are in a good mood. Cheap booze is a false economy. It’s not true that you shouldn’t drink alone: these can be the happiest glasses you ever drain. Hangovers are another bad sign, and you should not expect to be believed if you take refuge in saying you can’t properly remember last night. (If you really don’t remember, that’s an even worse sign.) Avoid all narcotics: these make you more boring rather than less and are not designed—as are the grape and the grain—to enliven company. Be careful about up-grading too far to single malt Scotch: when you are voyaging in rough countries it won’t be easily available. Never even think about driving a car if you have taken a drop. […]

'Security Lapse Exposed a Chinese Smart City Surveillance System'

Fri, 10 May 2019 00:00:00 -0000

Today in Cyberpunk China:

Security researcher John Wethington found a smart city database accessible from a web browser without a password. […] The exposed data contains enough information to pinpoint where people went, when and for how long, allowing anyone with access to the data — including police — to build up a picture of a person’s day-to-day life. […] The database also contained a subject’s approximate age as well as an “attractive” score, according to the database fields. […] The system also uses its facial recognition systems to detect ethnicities and labels them — such as “汉族” for Han Chinese, the main ethnic group of China — and also “维族” — or Uyghur Muslims, an ethnic minority under persecution by Beijing. […] The Chinese government has detained more than a million Uyghurs in internment camps in the past year, according to a United Nations human rights committee. It’s part of a massive crackdown by Beijing on the ethnic minority group. […] The customer’s system also has the capability to monitor for Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as phones and computers, using sensors built by Chinese networking tech maker Renzixing and placed around the district. The database collects the dates and times that pass through its wireless network radius. Fields in the Wi-Fi-device logging table suggest the system can collect IMEI and IMSI numbers, used to uniquely identify a cellular user. […]

Further reading: One Month, 500,000 Face Scans: How China Is Using A.I. to Profile a Minority

'Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley'

Thu, 09 May 2019 00:00:00 -0000

From the New York Times:

For 10 days a year, he sits in silence at a meditation retreat. Before getting dressed each morning, he experiments with using his home infrared sauna and then an ice bath, sometimes cycling through both several times before he leaves home. He walks five miles to work. He eats one meal a day and has said that on the weekends when he fasts from Friday to Saturday, “time slows down.” He talks about starting each morning with salt juice — water mixed with Himalayan salt and lemon. It is dispensed in Twitter offices around the world.

I haven’t really kept up with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey for a while but it seems he’s now gone full podcast bro.

Last time I saw him was via his long-lasting Twitter profile image. But that chisel-jawed Armie Hammer lookalike is more of a Tyron Lannister from Game of Thrones lookalike these days. That dude is looking lean. Maybe this criticism that he’s promoting eating disorders is partly correct. I wonder what’s next chasing that natural high. Self-harm maybe?

I mention all this not to mock the guy, but because I actually find myself somewhat attracted to the health douche culture, sadly. There was quite a while when I flirted with hipsterhood instead. I had to stop myself buying shit from Best Made Co., having £30 beard trims, and listening to Bon Iver. Luckily the furthest I wandered down that path was buying Iron Ranger boots, raw denim jeans and getting into fancy coffee.

So I must be strong and not let this new fad engulf me. I currently actively avoid minimalist YouTube channels, refuse to listen to Tim Ferris, and won’t read Podcast Notes.

Stoicism and intermittent fasting is all I’ve given in to so far. I read Aurelius each morning. And I’ve actually lost a bunch of weight. So, maybe I should just embrace the douchedom? :|

Further reading: The Podcast Bros Want to Optimize Your Life + Why Is Silicon Valley So Obsessed With the Virtue of Suffering?

ARM Macs This Year?

Thu, 02 May 2019 00:00:00 -0000

Intel have been dragging their feet when it comes to advancements in laptop-class CPUs for a while now. And it’s costing the Mac dearly. The iPad Pro is a more powerful device than most MacBooks! So for a few years it’s been rumoured that Apple is going to switch to ARM processors like their iOS devices.

In my head this was still a year or two away. But maybe not. Tim Cook:

For our Mac business overall, we faced some processor constraints in the March quarter, leading to a 5 percent revenue decline compared to last year. But we believe that our Mac revenue would have been up compared to last year without those constraints, and don’t believe this challenge will have a significant impact on our Q3 results.

As someone who just had their 6-year-old MacBook die on them and is waiting for WWDC before biting the bullet for a new one I really do hope ARM chips arrive this year.

{via Daring Fireball}

Some Quick Thoughts on Apple News

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0000

I know the tech world is currently busy covering Apple News+, but I’ve recently just been trying out plain old Apple News recently for the first time. Here’s some random thoughts.

I actually think it’s a decently designed app. It does nothing outstanding, but it displays stories and their texts simply. It does its job.
The main thing I’m not a fan of design wise is the time when posted text (e.g. ‘4h ago’, see screenshot) below each article. As long as it was published today I don’t care about the time published. And I don’t like how it’s placed at the bottom of each story block, as it can look a little stranded if the headline is a short one.
You really need to train it. If News was made by Google or Amazon you’d launch the app for the first time and it would would be eerily good at showing you stories of interest. But this is Apple so it takes some time to set it up to get good results. You have to be very proactive in blocking websites and disliking certain stories.
The typeface on the Mac version is too small and I don’t think there’s a way to enlarge it.
I never visit the human curated ‘Spotlight’ section. Nothing has ever caught my eye in there.
Overall I’ve found a lot of the negatives aren’t to do with Apple News itself and are instead due to the websites that are within it. Online journalism now is too short, too wrong and too clickbaity. And there just isn’t enough good articles published each to day to fill out the ‘columns’ of the Apple News app. But maybe the new higher-quality paid stuff in News+ will help with that problem.

The New York Times Gets It

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0000

I don’t read much news, but fairly often one of my RSS reads will link to an article from a newspaper. And this has become a little anoying in recent years as many newspapers now put their online content behind a paywall due to their dwindling physical paper circulation. Which I understand. But as someone who reads just a couple of articles a month from each publication it makes little finanical sense for me to take out an expensive, recurring subscription. The Guardian costs £13/mo (after a 14 day free trial). The Wall Street Journal costs £12/mo for the first twelve months and then an eye-watering £35/mo thereafter. And to sign up you have to fill out the usual endless amount of online forms and give them all manner of data.

Compare that to the New York Times. - £3.40/mo for the first year. - £6.80/mo thereafter. - Buy with Apple Pay and unlock the desired article in seconds. - Cancel at any time.

(The Washington Post also offers Apple Pay and costs £4.50/mo. A good value.)

Update, 18th September 2019: I forgot to consider ease-of-cancellation. After a few months of my subscription to the New York Times I just didn’t get enough value out of it, so decided to cancel. Well it turns out they want you to chat online to a member of staff to cancel! And every time I tried to apparently they were ‘offline’. But luckily I paid via PayPal so I just deleted the NYTimes as a ‘pre-approved’ payment and it cancelled itself. Something to be aware of, folks.

Amazon Prime Video

Sat, 09 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0000

There’s a nice little article by Alex Sherman at CNBC on Amazon Prime Video, beginning with this interesting rumour as to why the Lord of the Rings TV show rights went to Prime Video:

But money alone wasn’t going to separate Amazon from the pack — Amazon’s $250 million offer wasn’t even the highest bid for the show’s rights, according to a person familiar with the matter. The ultimate selling point, according to people with knowledge of the negotiations, related to Amazon’s original business from over two decades ago: books. The Tolkien estate was convinced that in promoting the series, Amazon could sell truckloads of Tolkien’s fantasy novels, including “The Hobbit” and “The Silmarillion” as well as “The Lord of the Rings.”

So it looks like maybe part of the deal involves the Amazon homepage pushing Tolkien books as hard as it does its Echos.

Amazon Prime Video is a curious thing. It has some good ideas and potential but somehow it’s just not coming together.

According to the above article Prime Video originally focused on ‘high-minded, potentially award-winning content to lure users into Prime’. Which is true, with rather niche films like The Neon Demon, Paterson, and Manchester by the Sea being funded by them. All of which were good, but not exactly mainstream. They’ve had more luck on the TV side, with Transparent and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel finding more appeal. However the rest of their TV offerings haven’t quite cut the mustard.

And now it seems like Prime Video is changing tactic slightly, realising that what really stops people from not renewing their Prime membership is not a bunch of four-star shows, but a couple of five-star shows that customers can’t live without. They’re doubtless aware there are plenty of people who subscribe to HBO GO just for Game of Thrones. And I think that’s one reason they’ve overpaid for The Grand Tour and Lord of the Rings. They need a hit. I’m sure they’ll continue funding lots of original content and seeing what sticks, à la Netflix. But they’re now aggressively pursuing what they perceive as ’ready-made’ hits, in desperation.

Another thing the article mentioned was Amazon Channels, which is essentially a way for users to get streaming content that isn’t on Prime Video into the service if they’re willing to pay for it. For example, $15/mo gets you HBO and $9/mo gets you Showtime. Now that every television network seems to be making its own streaming service, requiring users to deal with a bunch of different apps and bills, why not put all in one easy centralised place? Amazon Channels is a great idea. But it doesn’t quite work. And a large part is due to, what I think, is Prime Video’s biggest weakness: its UI.

Amazon products aren’t exactly known for their design, with nearly everything they make being ugly. But Prime Video is actively dysfunctional. My Mum can’t use it, whereas she has no issues with Netflix. It also makes the catastrophic mistake of showing non-Prime content that you have to purchase alongside the stuff that you get as part of your subscription. You see a movie that takes your fancy and then you realise once you click on it that you have to rent or purchase it. Truly ludicrous. Amazon needs to separate Prime Video and the Prime Video store. And talking of separating. They separate the above mentioned Amazon Channels, the one thing they shouldn’t. Rather than nicely adding Channel content into the interface, it’s almost treated like an app within an app.

If Amazon offered users Prime at $99 rather than $119, but for that they didn’t get access to Prime Video, how many would go for the cheaper plan? I believe a healthy majority would. Prime Video as it stands today, is a fairly limp, ugly offering.

Remembering Podcasts

Sun, 21 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Podcasts have a big problem: remembering them. Many of the podcasts I follow are overflowing with ideas, knowledge and references that I will almost certainly never remember to look into further.

A big reason for this is because like a lot of people I listen to podcasts in the background whilst doing something else. 95% of my podcast listening time is spent whilst I’m either walking, running, driving or trying to sleep. Basically times when it’s not appropriate to whip out my phone and start writing things in my notes app like ‘look up BBC news article about bees in South African plane’s engine that delayed flights’. It’s too much hassle. The most I manage to do is take a quick screenshot which lists the show, episode and timestamp. But then my phone just becomes full of screenshots and I can never be bothered to re-download the episode, find the correct spot, listen to it again and then finally do the research. I just don’t bother.

I can hear you shouting “show notes!”. True, show notes are very handy and thankfully more and more podcasts do them now. But I still have to go to their website, find the episode, and then seek out the correct section. Again, I just don’t bother.

Here’s want I want. It’s simple we kill the batman. I want my podcast player of choice (Overcast) to have an easily accessible bookmark button. In an ideal world it would then grab the audio starting from 1 minute before and 1 minute after and then email it to me, or import it into Evernote or something. But I’d settle for a ‘bookmark’ section in the app which lists all podcast episodes with bookmarks then lets you skip through the them. That feature would make listening to podcasts a lot more productive for me. Episodes wouldn’t just come and go. I could sit in front of a computer, browse through the bookmarks, and do the appropriate research.

Now that I’ve written this I just realised that I’ve blindly been using Overcast for many years now and maybe there’s an app out there that already does this? To the App Store!

I Put My Dad on Linux and Everything Went Fine

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Oh the joys of giving tech support to your parents for their crappy computer. I suffered for years with this and so did my poor Dad. It was the classic cheap PC + Windows combo of pain. The laptop display looked like it was 512 × 342 and it lost an average of one keycap a month. And then there was the usual Windows woes. Slowness, old school viruses, antivirus viruses, free-to-play games inexplicably downloaded to the desktop and about seven AskJeeves toolbars. Pure misery. So when the laptop finally died and my Dad came to me for advice about a replacement I knew a better solution was needed.

I quickly recommended going the desktop route over a laptop since my Dad nearly always worked at his desk and a desktop would last a lot longer. We could have picked up a pre-built machine, but I knew buying the parts and building a desktop myself would be cheaper, offer more spec flexibility and be a lot more reliable. Plus if something did break I could probably quickly and easily fix it by replacing the dead part (and not the whole machine!).

I went with a Silverstone Mini-ITX case (in white, which pleased Mum as it blended in nicely with the study decor), Intel Pentium Dual Core G3258, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 120GB SSD, MSI LGA1150 motherboard and a 300W Be Quiet! power supply. Total cost: £240.

Next came the OS. There was no way I was going to give Microsoft £80 for a copy of Windows and a lifetime of headaches. So I thought ‘why not Linux?’. It might seem bizarre, but it’s a near perfect OS for someone like my Dad. He’s far less likely to download a virus, Linux doesn’t bother him with popups, it’s easier to keep the same UI for many years (no forced Windows software updates and ‘visual refreshes’), and his computer will still be blazing fast five years from now. And he doesn’t use Adobe Lightroom or Microsoft Excel, his needs are simple, all he wants is a web browser and a word processor. Linux gives him that easily.

There’s lots of Linux distributions out there of course and at first I looked into ones that mirror his old Windows 7 desktop as much as possible. But they also often copied some of the bad and confusing elements too. So in the end I just settled on Ubuntu with the Unity desktop. It’s simple, with a nice large dock to the left.

His new desktop. Minimalistic with just four buttons that he knows as ‘search, documents, internet, and Word’.

However this was all good in theory and on paper, but how would this system and Dad get on in reality? Well it’s been over two years now and there has been literally zero problems. Honestly. Even the wireless printer works flawlessly. It did take him a little while to get used to the Ubuntu file browser. But now he knows to just save everything in Dropbox and click on that folder or Downloads when wants to find something. But aside from that the transition went swimmingly. We get a lot of power cuts and both the hardware and software have even dealt with that (somehow) without issue. The only maintenance I do is run sudo apt-get update every now and then.

I expect this machine will serve him loyally and reliably for many years to come. Thanks Linux.

Don't Skip Chapter 8

Fri, 12 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0000

I was reading Austin Kleon’s list of his 15 favourite books of the year when his description of “The Importance of Living” by Lin Yutang stood out (in bold):

I learned about this 1937 bestseller while reading Will Schwalbe’s Books For Living. It’s basically a book about the ancient Chinese art of chilling out and living a good life. (One thing: If you pick it up, just skip chapter 8 and Lin Yutang’s sexist views.)

Please don’t do this. That might be the vital chapter and maybe the one you’ll learn the most from. Maybe it will teach you that even the most wise are still a product of their time. That great men and women are often greatly flawed. It might teach you that sometimes you have to reject advice from a person that has given nothing but good advice before. It could help you understand why certain people are sexist, sympathise with them, learn about their flawed logic, and maybe one day convince a sexist not to be one anymore.

Don’t skip chapter 8.

Link discovery chain:
-– Browsing the shawnblanc.net blog archive
-—– Shawn Blanc: How to Read More
-——– Austin Kleon: How to read more
-———– Austin Kleon: My reading year, 2017

Recipe: Tortellini chicken soup

Mon, 09 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve owned a slow cooker for quite a few years now, but I’m not actually a huge fan. A lot of the recipes I’ve tried have been more miss than hit. But this slow cooker creamy tortellini, spinach and chicken soup is fantastic.

Give it a go!

Notes:

Actually follow the recipe! The balance and amounts are just right.
Tear the chicken well at the end. I didn’t and the pieces were too big.
Don’t use too much parmesan. I like cheese so added an extra 20-30g and the sauce became a little too thick and heavy.
Despite looking bright and Italian this is a pretty heavy dish and perfect for winter.

Evernote Still Sucks

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Soon it will be two years since I wrote this about Evernote moving to the Google Cloud. I sounded hopeful. In my head the move was just the start of the beginning of the resurgence of Evernote. Instead it has continued to stagnate. I can’t remember any new features being added - other than a few UI tweaks - and both the Mac and iOS apps remain buggy and terribly slow. Oh and the browser extension on Safari is still awful.

Right now I all my notes, stored locally on my machine, are fucking buffering.

Notes. Buffering.

I still use Evernote everyday. It’s still my digital brain. But man do I hate it at times.

How to Watch US Netflix in the UK

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0000

NOTE: This article is now out of date and likely will not work.

The US Netflix catalogue has famously been superior in quantity and quality to the UK one for a long time now. And while it’s not as bad as it once was the US library still remains superior, with a far better movie collection and TV shows like The Office (US).

But until fairly reccently someone in the UK could easily access US Netflix by buying a VPN subscription and just setting their location to the US. However recently Netflix has clamped down on VPN usage and it is now a bit trickier to access the US Netflix without getting the infamous ‘streaming error’ message.

You now need your own dedicated US IP address, not one that is shared between thousands of other VPN users and thus easily blocked by Netflix. So follow the guide below to see how to do that…

Notes:

You don’t need a US Netflix subscription to access US Netflix. Just visit Netflix whilst connected to the VPN and it will automaticlly switch to the US library and then revert back to UK Netflix when you disconnect from the VPN. You don’t need two Netflix subscriptions or anything like that.
I’m using TorGuard.net as the VPN in this guide because the 50% off discount code I use applies for the lifetime of the subscription, doesn’t require a minimum time commitment, and also applies not just to the VPN but also to the dedicated IP address. I doubt you’ll find a cheaper VPN + dedicated IP combo elsewhere. But if you do feel free to use it in TorGuards stead.
This will get you up and running watching US Netflix on your computer and smart device. Watching it on your TV streaming device (AppleTV, Roku, Chromecast, FireTV, etc.) is more difficult and will not be covered here.2
Using a VPN to trick Netflix into think you’re actually in a different country is technically against their terms of service. So please do so at your own risk.

Step 1

Head on over to TorGuard.net and go the Anonymous VPN section then choose how often you’d like to pay. Semi-annual at $30 for 6 months represents the best value. Then click ‘BuyVPN’ and it will take you to the checkout.

Step 2

Scroll down to the ‘configurable options’ section and in the ‘Regular Dedicated IP’ box select ‘x1 Streaming IP USA’. Then continue through checkout.

Step 3

At the next page enter TGLifetime50 in the ‘promotional code’ section and hit ‘Go’. Your basket should now update with the new 50% discounted price. Then pay.

Step 4

Once you’ve payed for your plan you need to request your dedicated IP address. So go to the Submit Ticket page and send a ticket to ‘Sales’ with the subject Requesting NEW Netflix streaming IP @ location USA. You can leave the message box blank.

After a few minutes you’ll get an automated message saying which USA location you’d prefer: Michigan or California. Choose which ever is physically closer to where you live (Michigan if you’re in Europe) and respond to the ticket with Michigan as the subject and message body.

Then after another few minutes you’ll get a response telling you your new dedicated IP address. Congrats! You’ve now got an unlimited traffic VPN with your own shiny dedicated IP address. One more step now before Netflix streaming bliss.

Step 5

It’s now time to install the TorGuard VPN software. If you’re going to stream from a PC or Mac go here and click download next to the name of the operating system you’re using. For smartphones you just need to search TorGuard on your devices app store.

Once you’ve installed the TorGuard software, launch it.

Windows/Mac Instructions

Click More settings…

Go to the Servers tab. From the dropdown select United States. Enter your dedicated IP. Give it a nickname. Click Add. And finally Save.

Back at the main menu click Select Server…

Then select your dedicated IP address (it will be at the top of the list).

Now you just have to hit Connect.

iOS/Android Instructions

Launch the TorGuard app.

Tap the gear icon at the top right.

Next to Dedicated IP tap Add.

Choose USA from country dropdown menu. Enter your IP address and give it a nickname. Tap Add.

Now you just have to tap Connect.

Step 6

You’re all done! Head on over to Netflix.com (or open the app) to watch and enjoy US Netflix :)

The Setup of 2016

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0000

I’m a big fan of The Setup. It’s “a collection of nerdy interviews asking people from all walks of life what they use to get the job done.” So in the spirit of it, I’ve decided to do my own. And plan on doing one each year to keep track of how my ‘setup’ changes. You can see my 2013 and 2014 one too.

What hardware do you use?

My main computer is a 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro (mid 2012, 2.6GHz Intel i7, 16GB RAM). It’s often hooked up on my desk to dual Apple Thunderbolt Displays, a Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard, Logitech M570 trackball, and either some old Bose computer speakers or my Beyerdynamic T90 headphones.

I also have an iPad Pro (12.9 inch) which I’ve been using more and more this year as it’s light, helps me focus, and alleviates some hand pain I’ve developed.

Other computers include a Mac mini (late 2014, 2.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD) being used as a home server. A Synology DS1815+ NAS with 22TB in RAID 6 for general file storage and backups, 3TB for home surveillance cameras, and 1TB as a Time Machine backup of my Macbook. I also have a gaming PC with an Intel Core i5 4690K and ASUS Strix GTX 970 which is paired with a BenQ XL2430T monitor, HHKB keyboard, and a Logitech G500s mouse.

There’s an iPhone 6 in my right pocket, some keys in my left, and a Chrome Soyuz [cached link] bag on my back.

For photography I use a Fujifilm X100S, Leica M4-P, Bronica SQ-A and a Sony A100.

And what software?

Usually occupying my monitor

Safari for web browsing and TodoTxtMac for todos . I also usually have a Safari window open on my second monitor with my Plex library open, listening to music, or maybe watching some TV.

Daily

nvALT for frequently needed .txt’s. Bear for other important notes. Evernote for all sorts of stuff. Soulver for when I can’t be bothered to go to Wolfram|Alpha. Byword for writing. Chocolat for various text based stuff. MailMate for email. Transmit for FTP.

Occasionally

Acorn and Preview for quick image editing, and Lightroom for the more extensive. Final Cut Pro for video editing. PDFpen mostly for OCRing. Pages for when I need to print my words. Steam for gaming. YNAB for finance management.

Background and utilities

Dropbox, Google Drive , Backblaze and Arq for backups. 1Password for password management. Alfred for quickly launching or finding stuff. Caffeine for keeping my Mac awake. DaisyDisk for hard drive space management. Divvy for window management. Email Backup Pro does what it says on the tin. Bartender for organising the taskbar. Fantastical for adding to my calendar. f.lux for the sake of my eyes. FruitJuice for keeping my battery healthy. iStat Menus for spying on my computer. Hazel for automatically moving and renaming files. KeyRemap4MacBook for making my keyboard more Mac friendly. TextExpander for simplifying the commonly typed stuff. Time Out to remind me to get up and out of my seat every now and again. Yoink for making drag and drop easier.

iPhone

Twitterrific for Twitter. Overcast for podcasts. Newsblur for RSS. Terminology for looking up word definitions. Eidetic for memorising new information. Plex for accessing my home media files. Weather Line for general weather. Dark Sky for rain. Bear for notes. FastEver [iTunes link] for quickly taking short notes. Simplenote for .txt. Evernote for all sorts. FastMail for email. Citymapper for getting around London. Fantastical for my calendar. SwiftoDo for todos. Wolfram|Alpha for answers. VSCO Cam for image editing. RunKeeper for seeing how far I walk. 1Password for password security. Pocket for reading saved web articles. Pinner for Pinboard. Dropbox for accessing documents anywhere. Live Football on TV for well, you know. WhoScored [iTunes link] for checking live football scores. IMDb for when I wanna know the name of that guy in that film. Amazon for mobile purchases. Pushover for notifications of weather alerts. ScannerPro for scanning.

2016 In Review

I skipped posting about my setup in 2015 because not much changed from the previous year. And to be honest not a wealth of stuff (especially on the software side) has changed this year either. I’m a man frozen in time, quite happily using a four year old Mac alongside the same software I’ve been using for equally long. I’m content with my tools.

What would be your dream setup?

I’m not smart enough to know my dream setup in 10+ years.

But in the shorter term, I want my hardware to be faster, harder to break, more reliable, and have longer battery life.

Overly Organised Tags

Fri, 09 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0000

I have two digital brains for storing stuff: Pinboard and Evernote. Pinboard is a bookmarking site, so I use it store anything at a web URL that I may want later. Evernote is a notetaking application and is for anything that I will probably want later, including personal data like receipts, notes, and book excerpts. Both of these services fill up with information very quickly, so rely heavily on efficient tagging. But until recently I had been using tags anything but efficiently.

Tags are great because it’s metadata you chose. Take the Evernote note of a painting above. The only metadata that was automatically added was the painting title, artist and the source URL. Is this enough for me to find this note in a years time? Probably not. But by adding the tags cosy night.sky painting shovel snow I will have a much greater chance. It’s personal metadata, so I am more likely to recall it later.

In the past however I would of just tagged that note as photo:painting. Which is better than nothing, and I would of probably found the note again, but that tag may have hundreds of notes in it and I would need to browse through them all to find this particular note. It’s slow and ineffecient. I was severaly hindering myself by being picky with my tags and keeping them overly organised. I’ve now learnt that tags work best when used heavily and without mercy.

Equally stupid was how I used nested tags, so ended up with loads of crazy long ones like travel:england:resource:walking. There’s simply no need for that as both Evernote and Pinboard allow me to search multiple tags at once. And I had to remember the nesting order. That tag was often written like travel:resource:walking:england in error. Tags work much better alone. Context can be added later.

And it wasn’t just overly neat tags that was an issue. It was also my bad habit of spending multiple hours a week ‘cleaning’ the contents and tags of these services. I had to keep them tidy and was often too keen to delete stuff, especially tags with only one item. I’ve learnt to let go now, and the majority of my tags are only being used by one or two entries. And that’s okay. It’s not my real life brain, it’s my digital one, it doesn’t have to be perfectly organised. It’s just a place to store stuff that I might want later that needs to be low maintenance and not take over my life with too much filing. And I think my new way of using these services fits that definition. They’re easier to manage and more competent at finding my data.

The Loss of What.cd

Sun, 20 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0000

The music torrent tracker What.cd closed today. The details are still not clear. At first it seemed French police seized the sites servers hosted with OVH and took it offline. But now it seems that the sites admins got word of a potential raid so shut down and deleted data before they were seized. Ars Technica:

“The facts are pretty skimpy right now,” What.cd’s representative says. “We have no official confirmation that servers were seized, but all available evidence does support that, so we are operating as if it is true.” That being said, what.cd’s administrators are confident that its major database of user information was not seized by French authorities: “The site was operational until we shut it down.” That shutdown decision was made by What.cd’s operators out of heightened precaution, as opposed to being forced by an authority to do so, the representative tells Ars.

I’m sure more technical details will follow, but what I want to focus on is the loss of What.cd.

And loss is the right word. To people reading about the news, and not knowing about the site, they will probably think that it’s just another illegal torrent tracker that is deservedly shut down. And there is no getting around it, What.cd was a place to pirate. But it was also the greatest library of digital music the world has ever seen, and a tremendous community for music lovers.

It contained countless musical rarities, that hopefully thanks to the nature of file sharing, haven’t been lost. I first joined around 8 years ago for a copy of the ‘original’ mono first pressing of Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, an album with only 20 physical copies that costs around $15,000 to buy. And thanks to What.cd I am listening to that album whilst typing this.

But of course by ‘thanks to What.cd’ what I actually mean is ‘thanks to a user of What.cd’. Because you had to have an invitation to join the site and could be banned if you didn’t behave, it was made up of some very fine users. The forums were immensely active and full of civil discussion about music.

People created ‘collages’ of albums for easy reference and download, such as ‘Introduction to Ambient’, ‘The Penguin Guide to Jazz Core Collection’, and ‘Christmas Origins: Christmas in Early, Classical & Folk Music’.

You could get a notification when there was a new album uploaded of a musician you like. No subscribing to their spammy newsletter or following their Facebook. Just told when there was an actual album out.

You could request a specific rare vinyl version of an album and be shocked to see how quickly someone found and uploaded a copy. And on that albums What.cd page there could already be many different versions: 1960 vinyl first pressing, 1990 original CD, 1993 Sony Japan cassette release, 2002 Columbia definitive edition, 2005 Steven Hoffman remastered vinyl, 2011 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab original master recording hybrid SACD, 2015 HDTracks 44.1kHz/24bit web release. And then in the forums there would be discussions about which sounded the best. It was glorious.

Jökull Sólberg Auðunsson said in 2012 [dead link, cached copy]:

Music torrent sites Oink.me, Waffles.fm and What.cd have all had deeper vaults of audible content than any legal music service. They’re like a mixture of a digital Alexandria, a 10,000 square meter bootleg store and a music reviewer early release mail room. The searching and filing is an achievement on its own, through methods of crowd-sourcing and a culture lead by perfectionists and passionate music archivers.

I’ll leave you with that. Goodbye What.cd. You’ll be missed.

The Newsletter Popup Plague

Mon, 26 Sep 2016 00:00:00 -0000

If you’re an iPhone user the popup on below will almost certainly have gotten in your way many times. It isn’t a spam or malicious popup, but it is just as annoying.

Thankfully a year or so ago it became so common and such a menace that considerate iOS developers started to remove it from their apps and it is much less prevalent today.

But now there is a new plague. This time on the web (particularly shops and blogs). It’s the ‘subscribe to our newsletter’ popup and it’s depressingly rampant. You’re slapped in the face with it the moment you visit way too many sites now.

Both these popups are the product of a few things I believe…

Fashion

The web, like most things, has fashions and trends. The newsletter popup has been around for a long time, but it appears in 2016 to be very much in fashion and to have reached a mass scale. Which leads me onto my next point.

Morally okay

When something is so ubiquitous it is less likely to be examined morally. When all your fellow online shops have fashionable newsletter popups of course you want to implement one too. Whereas if you were one of the first you would need to look at wether this is good for your users and examine its pros and cons. But at some point enough people are doing it that the general census becomes ’this is fine’ and you no longer have to debate it.

Easy to use ‘plugins’

In the case of iOS, two open source projects called Appirater and iRate allowed developers an easy way to implement ‘rate this app’ popups. On the web Wordpress has many popup newsletter plugins and store CMS’s like Shopify have plenty too. Or you can just use MailChimp and a snippet of code to accomplish it.

It works

People aren’t utterly stupid. If these popups didn’t increase newsletter signups they wouldn’t have them.

Finally

So newsletter popups are fashionable, morally okay (in their minds), easy to implement, and work. But fashions die, morally I consider it wrong, easy doesn’t mean right, and a 0.50% increase in newsletter signups isn’t worth plaguing your users. So please, let this trend die.

Below are some popup examples I’ve come across organically in just the past few days…

Evernote in the Cloud

Sun, 18 Sep 2016 00:00:00 -0000

As I type this Evernote is on my second monitor to my left. It’s been there all day during which it’s been referred and added to many times. I live in Evernote. But despite that I don’t love it. In fact it seems during the eight years I’ve been using it, I like it less and less each year.

Well this may start to change soon as Evernote recently announced that they are moving from their own servers to the Google Cloud Platform and this paragraph caught my eye:

In addition to scale, speed, and stability, Google will also give Evernote access to some of the same deep-learning technologies that power services like translation, photo management, and voice search. We look forward to taking advantage of these technologies to help you more easily connect your ideas, search for information in Evernote, and find the right note at the moment you need it.

This is fantastic news. The main issue I have with Evernote is that it’s a digital brain that’s stuck in 2008. It is a prime candidate for, and in desperate need of, some ‘deep-learning technologies’, as well as being on a modern cloud platform.

I’m hoping these issues I have will be improved:

Search. It’s just not quite good enough, and you need to tag and organise your notes efficiently as well as know advanced search syntax to find anything in a large Evernote account.
Sync. A sync every 5 minutes is a joke in this day of age. It needs to be close to realtime, especially for business users who collaborate.
Related notes. Premium users can see ‘related notes’ below notes. These results aren’t actually too bad, but improvement is needed (For example there’s one Nicholas Cage note I have which Evernote thinks is related to every other note for some reason).
Server speeds. Evernote’s servers are obviously somewhere in the US which isn’t good for European users like me. I reach a whooping 150KB/s when downloading from Evernote. I shouldn’t have to watch a 3MB image in my Evernote slowly load when I’m on a 200 Mbit connection. Just the use of Google’s Cloud CDN should solve this.
Audio transcribe. I use Evernote to store many little voice recordings. Getting these transcribed would be fantastic. Cloud Speech needs to be put to good use (Though at $1.44 per hour, this would obviously be for Premium users and have a time limit).

That would be a good start to making me love Evernote again. Then they just need to sort out some bugs. Such as how images sent from my iPhone are in the wrong orientation and stretched when I view them in the Mac client and how PDFs never seem to work in the iPhone app.

Replacing DuckDuckGo !bangs with Alfred

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0000

I recently switched back to using Google as my default search engine after several years of favouring DuckDuckGo. Duck’s search results were sadly just not good enough compared to Google’s. However, one thing it beat Google on was its ability to directly search a website using something called a !bang. So rather than searching ‘youtube van morrison tupelo honey’, with a !bang, you could enter ‘!yt van morrison tupelo honey’, which is quicker to type, but more importantly it searches YouTube directly using their search, and you bypass the Google/Duck results page altogether. So with my switch came this loss of a feature I use many times a day. Luckily Alfred saved the day.

Alfred is my Spotlight replacement of choice. And one of its features is the ability to do web searches, including your own custom web searches via keywords. So I need just to add YouTube as a custom web search, attach the keyword ‘yt’ and I’m all good. From then on I just need to launch Alfred and type ‘yt van morrison tupelo honey’ to achieve the same results as the Duck !bang.

But in fact using Alfred has other added bonuses.

It avoids having to type ‘!’ before each custom search.
I can use any custom keyword choice I want. If I didn’t like ‘yt’ I could of chosen ‘video’ or ‘y’ instead for YouTube.
Although Duck has a vast amount of !bang compatible websites and they give you the ability to suggest new ones to them, there are plenty of sites that aren’t on their list that I’d like to search. With Alfred I can add any site I want.
I don’t have to navigate to my browser to do a web search. I can be in any application and just launch Alfred.
I don’t have to wait around for Duck to process my search request and then redirect me to the relevant search page.
I don’t have to change my searching habits if I change my web browser. My behaviour remains the same.

So overall, everything went better than expected.

Thanks Alfred.

Typing

Sun, 01 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Around about a year ago I suddenly realised that I’d been typing away on QWERTY keyboards for well over a decade (since around 2000, aged 10), and that during that time I’d been ‘chicken pecking‘ the whole time. And with the further realisation that I’m likely to be using keyboards for many, many years, I decided it was time to learn how to type properly.

I first replaced my Apple chiclet keyboard with a ‘proper’ one. And chose the Das Model S Professional for Mac, as most non-chiclet keyboards do not play nice with Macs. However, the Das was just too large and noisy for my small desk and night owl habits. So I replaced it with the HHKB Professional 2. It was expensive, but small and fairly quiet for a ‘proper’ keyboard thanks to its topre keys. I also went with the blank keycap variant to really force me how to learn how to touch type.

When it came to learning, I found Peter’s Online Typing Course to be the best resource.

Anyway, here’s a chart of my average typing speed over the past year.

(My average WPM (words per minute) didn’t immediately drop to its lowest as I was still occasionally chicken pecking at first.)

It took me a very long time to get back to where I was before switching because I just don’t type enough. The most I type at one time is usually an iMessage. But despite the long learning time, it was still very much worth it. My hands feel better, but mostly it’s just really really handy not having to look down from my computer screen to my keyboard when typing.

So if you’re not a touch typist and have been considering learning how I’d highly recommend it. It really wasn’t as tough as I had expected.

The Setup of 2014

Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0000

I’m a big fan of The Setup. It’s “a collection of nerdy interviews asking people from all walks of life what they use to get the job done.” So in the spirit of it, I’ve decided to do my own. And plan on doing one each year to keep track of how my ‘setup’ changes. You can see my 2013 one here.

What hardware do you use?

Me and my 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro (mid 2012, 2.6GHz Intel i7, 16GB RAM) shuttle between my University dorm and parents house.

At my desk at the dorm is an Apple Thunderbolt Display, Happy Hacking Keyboard Pro 2, Logitech G500 mouse, Razer Goliathus large mouse mat, and Beyerdynamic T90 headphones.

At home there’s a Apple Thunderbolt Display, Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2, Logitech G500S mouse, Sennheiser HD 380 Pro headphones, Synology DS411j NAS and a Herman Miller Aeron chair. I also have a Mac mini (late 2014, 2.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD) which I use as a home server and as a Plex client, along with four Roku 3’s hooked up to TV’s around the house to access Plex. I also have a PS3 (slim model) and Apple TV (3rd generation Rev. A).

There’s an iPhone 6 in my right pocket. Some keys in my left. A Field Notes Pitch Black edition notebook and Fisher pen in the cargo pocket. And a Chrome Soyuz bag on my back.

For photography I use a Fujifilm X100S, Leica M4-P, Bronica SQ-A and a Sony A100.

And what software?

Usually occupying my monitor

Safari for web browsing. Twitterrific for Twitter. And either Rdio or Cog for music, or VLC for TV/movie.

Daily

nvALT for frequently needed .txt’s. Soulver for when I can’t be bothered to go to Wolfram|Alpha. Byword for writing. Reeder 2 for RSS. Chocolat for various text based stuff. Messages for iMessage. MailMate for email. MarsEdit for blogging. ReadKit for Instapaper. Transmit for FTP.

Occasionally

Acorn and Preview for quick image editing, and Lightroom for the more extensive. Final Cut Pro for video editing. PDFpen mostly for OCRing. Pages for when I need to print my words. Steam for gaming. YNAB for finance management.

Background and utilities

Dropbox, Backblaze and Arq for backups. 1Password for password management. Alfred for quickly launching or finding stuff. Caffeine for keeping my Mac awake. DaisyDisk for hard drive space management. Divvy for window management. Email Backup Pro does what it says on the tin. Bartender for organising the taskbar. Fantastical for adding to my calendar. f.lux for the sake of my eyes. FruitJuice for keeping my battery healthy. iStat Menus for spying on my computer. Hazel for automatically moving and renaming files. KeyRemap4MacBook for making my keyboard more Mac friendly. TextExpander for simplifying the commonly typed stuff. Time Out to remind me to get up and out of my seat every now and again. TotalFinder mostly for listing folders above files in Finder. WhatPulse for key and mouse click tracking. Yoink for making drag and drop easier.

iPhone

Twitterrific for Twitter. Overcast for podcasts. Terminology for looking up word definitions. Eidetic for memorising new information. Quotebook for collecting quotes. Plex for accessing my home media files from anywhere. Dark Sky for weather. Drafts for quickly taking short notes. Notesy for .txt. Evernote for all sorts. FastMail for email. Citymapper for getting around London. Launch Center Pro for quickly launching things. Fantastical for my calendar. Rdio for music. Audible for audiobooks. Due for reminders. Wolfram|Alpha for answers. VSCO Cam for image editing. RunKeeper for seeing how far I walk. 1Password for password security. Instapaper for reading saved web articles. Pinner for Pinboard. Dropbox for accessing documents anywhere. Live Football on TV for well, you know. Yahoo Sport for checking live football scores. IMDb for when I wanna know the name of that guy in that film. Amazon for mobile purchases. Watch Tracker (iTunes link) for seeing how accurate my watch is. Pushover for notifications of weather alerts. MX Mayhem for gaming.

Replacements:

Apple TV (2nd generation) replaced with the 3rd generation Rev. A Apple TV.
NetNewsWire (version 3) was replaced by Reeder for RSS.
PodWrangler was replaced by Overcast for podcasts.
Today was replaced by Dark Sky for weather.

Removed:

Schiit Magni Amp and Modi DAC as I forgot to set them up in my new dorm room. I must do that.
Wedge as App.net is sadly mostly dead.
LimeChat as I just don’t use IRC enough and it was taking up valuable screen real estate.
OmniFocus as I just don’t have enough stuff to do to warrant such powerful software. I use Evernote reminders instead.
Beamer as Plex has removed the need to AirPlay movies to my TV.
Mountain as I just don’t plug stuff in and out as much as I use to.
Fitted Lifts as it wasn’t a great app, and it’s too time consuming to enter info in between weight sets.

2014 In Review

In 2013 I really embraced the file system for all my documents, photos, music, movies, etc. so that I wasn’t relying on proprietary software to access my own files. However in 2014 this changed slightly. I really learnt the ins and outs of Evernote, and the risk of long term availability of my files was outweighed by the conveinece of a service like Evernote.

But probably the biggest change in 2014 was my discovery of the wonderful Plex. I used to use DS Video on my Synology to play my media on my Roku. But it was slow in both loading the client UI and the video files. So after I purchased the Mac mini I decided to give Plex a try and was amazed. It fetched metadata perfectly, the Roku and iOS clients were beautfiul and blazing fast, and it could transcode anything into a friendly format for the device it was playing on. It also meant easy access to my movies, TV shows, music, and home videos from anywhere in the world and from every device I own.

It also handled all my music well, and with the iOS app being so good, I removed most of my music from my iPhone and now I just stream it via the Plex app.

Another amazing thing about Plex is how friends and family can access my media files. You give them their own username, and what they watch doesn’t effect your account, and you can even restrict what they can access (home videos, for example). Sadly, the limit is my internet upload speed (15 Mbps), which isn’t fast enough for mutiple 1080p streams, so my friends and familys Roku defaults to 720p to be safe and avoid buffering. But still, a Roku with Plex installed and access to 1000+ of my movies makes a great gift to a friend.

What would be your dream setup?

I’m not smart enough to know my dream setup in 10+ years.

But in the shorter term, I want my hardware to be faster, harder to break, more reliable, and have longer battery life.

Alcohol

Fri, 05 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0000

How wonderful and terrible it is that my drug of choice, alcohol, is positioned perfectly in the world I inhabit.

There are thousands of these buildings called ‘pubs’ and ‘bars’ dedicated to the consumption of it.

Every supermarket I go to stocks vast quanties and varieties of it at a financial loss just so they get me through their door to buy food on the way out of it.

My family buys it for me on special occasions.

All my friends partake. We enable each other, just like the alcohol enables our conversations.

High class places hide it with their prices and cocktails of ingredients, but the alcohol remains.

And travel is great!

I put my empty carry-on luggage to good use in duty-free. The airport lounges present it freely alongside cold, stale nibbles. On the flight it’s thrown at me. By the steward, “orange juice or champagne?”, with me pretending to think about my choice. And by the steward who has to stand behind the bar even though it’s 4 a.m. and the rest of the plane is asleep. He feeds me drink, and I feed him the sight of something other than tired travellers stumbling to the toilets.

And then I land in a Muslim country. So no alcohol! But wait, that doesn’t include hotels you fool!

Then my holiday consists of two weeks of slave labourers asking me around the swimming pool if I’d like a drink. They use their legs to transport it to you and everything. You scribble your signature and mumble your room number and more of it comes, until you’re so drunk you’re scared of getting in the pool for fear of drowning.

But at least at the end of a booze-fueled day I have the AC cooled sober embrace of my hotel room, far away from Indian immigrants tempting me to drink.

So I relax and turn on the TV. Mmm. Alcoholic beverage adverts with rich looking people doing rich looking things and having what looks like a very nice time. And look! Below the TV is what looks like a small fridge, I wonder what’s in it?

Please See the ISS

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Seeing the ISS (International Space Station) pass over head is a really cool experience. You can’t see the details. It’s just a big, bright dot in the sky zooming by, but somehow it’s amazing to watch. You realise that people are in that dot 250 miles up and doing over 17,000MPH.

To most people the ISS is just this thing in space where astronauts sing songs, and they don’t realise they can almost certainly see it pass over their head. And unlike many of these space things they don’t have to travel to weird locations only to find out it won’t be happening that night or it’s too cloudly to see. You can see the ISS from the comfort of your garden!

How?

Well NASA offers a service called Spot The Station where they’ll e-mail or text you when it’s going to be passing by your location. And they give you all the details on where to see it in the nights sky.

Here’s an example email:

Time: Fri Jun 07/10:43 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 61 degrees, Appears: WSW, Disappears: E

Just go outside a minute or so before they say in case it’s early and then look up and marvel.

Everyone I’ve told about this hasn’t known about it before and hasn’t regretted checking it out once I mentioned it. And kids love it. It’s a tangible ‘rocket’ that’s in their garden and not far out in space or in picture books.

Podcasts

Sat, 25 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Podcasts have become a massive part of my life in the past few years. It’s a unique and great medium, and when some of your favourite people are involved, it becomes utterly joyous. They’re often conversational and relaxed. Podcasting is a raw art form that is yet to be tainted by money. They are nearly always free and done out of love.

Last year Stephen Fry made an appearance on Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast. It got quite a lot of press because in the show Stephen admited to a suicide attempt earlier in the year. But newspaper headlines aside, it’s a masterpiece of a podcast episode. The host Richard Herring was a little bit annoying at times. It may be a comedy podcast, but I felt he kept looking for jokes a little bit too much, when he should of been satisfied with the perfect balance of comedy and honesty that Stephen turned the conversation into.

Anyway, it was a sublime way to spend 90 minutes before sleep, and after listening to it I sat on the edge of my bed for a few minutes thinking. It made me happy, saddened me, and inspired me. It did what all great art should. It took me into its cave and spat me out different and better. Not drastically so. It just added another stick to my mental Beaver dam against everything bad in my world. I hadn’t had a bad or good day, I had experienced what most days are. Boring, dull, tiring, and sprinkled with brief moments of embarrassment, confidence, happiness and sadness. And having in those 24 hours just a glimpse of great art makes it worthwhile, and worth slugging through another 24 to hopefully taste again.

Afterwards Richard Herring wrote:

For a few years now I’ve been side-stepping the censorship, limitations and, let’s face it, lack of interest of television broadcasters and producing my own comedy podcasts. I love the freedom and autonomy of the medium, as well as its immediacy. I can have an idea in the morning and it can be broadcast that same day. With all the hoops you have to jump through to make a TV show, it can take years to get an idea to screen and, by the time it’s on, it has often been interfered with so much by executives that it is unrecognisable. […] I was delighted that one of my all-time comedy heroes, Stephen Fry, agreed to appear, but I was nervous. I had never met him before and was concerned I might just sit opposite him in open-mouthed amazement, unable to say a word. […] It was the most extraordinary and electric 90 minutes that I have ever experienced on stage, showed that independent podcasts can compete with and trump mainstream broadcasters and spread awareness about the effects of depression.

Stephen Fry also later blogged:

The episode, plus the relationship I now have with a magnificent psychiatrist, has made made my mental health better, I think, than it’s ever been.

Podcasts, how I love you.

Download the mp3, listen to it on Soundcloud or watch the video on YouTube.

Cleartones

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Ringtones and notification sounds are nearly always ghastly and loud. Cleartones aims to solve that. It’s a collection of minimal ringtones and notifications that are unique and don’t violate your ears. They are beautifully simple.

I favour the ‘Pure’ collection. And use:

Ringtone: The Pitch
Text tone: Refined
New Email: Pretty Pure
Calendar Alerts: Reflections

Each of the 3 packs costs $17. Or you can buy all of them for $35. Pretty pricey. But they’re gorgeous and you get them DRM-free so you can keep the same tones forever.

Tip: When out and about, with the phone in my pocket, I mostly rely on the vibrate. So I’ve turned down the ‘ringers and alerts’ default volume to around half way in Settings. This means when at home alerts are even less obtrusive and I don’t bother people when on the train, etc. I’d reccomend trying this yourself.

The Setup of 2013

Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0000

I’m a big fan of The Setup. It’s “a collection of nerdy interviews asking people from all walks of life what they use to get the job done.” So in the spirit of it, I’ve decided to do my own. And plan on doing one each year to keep track of how my ‘setup’ changes. Here we go…

What hardware do you use?

Me and my 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro (mid 2012, 2.6GHz Intel i7, 16GB RAM) shuttle between my University dorm and parents house.

At my desk at the dorm is an Apple Thunderbolt Display, Happy Hacking Keyboard Pro 2, Logitech G500 mouse, Schiit Magni Amp and Modi DAC, Beyerdynamic T90 headphones and a Herman Miller Aeron chair.

At home there’s a Apple Thunderbolt Display, Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2, Apple Magic Mouse, Sennheiser HD 380 Pro headphones, Synology DS411j NAS and a hand-me-down office chair. I also have a PS3 (slim model) and Apple TV (2nd generation).

There’s an iPhone 5 in my right pocket. Some keys in my left. A Field Notes notebook [dead link, cached copy] (pitch black edition) and Fisher pen in the cargo pocket. And a Chrome Soyuz bag on my back.

For photography I use a Fujifilm X100S, Leica M4-P, Bronica SQ-A and a Sony A100.

And what software?

Usually occupying my monitor

Safari for web browsing. Twitterrific for Twitter, and Wedge for App.net. LimeChat for IRC. And either Rdio or Cog for music, or VLC for TV/Movie.

Daily

nvALT, because .txt’s are my life. Soulver for when I can’t be bothered to go to Wolfram|Alpha. Byword for writing. OmniFocus for tasks. NetNewsWire (version 3) for RSS. Chocolat for various text based stuff. Messages for iMessage. MailMate for email. MarsEdit for blogging. ReadKit for Instapaper. Transmit for FTP. StockTouch for the stock market. Beamer for streaming to the Apple TV.

Occasionally

Acorn and Preview for quick image editing, and Lightroom for the more extensive. Final Cut Pro for video editing. PDFpen mostly for OCRing. Pages for when I need to print my words. Steam for gaming. YNAB for finance management.

Background and utilities

Dropbox, Backblaze and Arq for backups. 1Password for password management. Alfred for quickly launching or finding stuff. Caffeine for keeping my Mac awake. DaisyDisk for hard drive space management. Divvy for window management. Email Backup Pro does what it says on the tin. Bartender for organising the taskbar. Fantastical for adding to my calendar. f.lux for the sake of my eyes. FruitJuice for keeping my battery healthy. iStat Menus for spying on my computer. Hazel for automatically moving and renaming files. KeyRemap4MacBook for making my keyboard more Mac friendly. TextExpander for simplifying the commonly typed stuff. Time Out to remind me to get up and out of my seat every now and again. TotalFinder mostly for putting folders above files in Finder. WhatPulse for key and mouse click tracking. Yoink for making drag and drop easier. Mountain for quickly ejecting external hard drives.

iPhone

Notesy for .txt. PodWrangler for podcasts. Wolfram|Alpha for answers. Today for weather. Dark Sky for upcoming rain. OmniFocus for tasks. Rdio for music. Citymapper for London. Fitted Lifts for gym.

2013 In Review

This was the year where I realised it was important to not store files needed long term in third party software. So I disposed of Evernote, Day One, iPhoto, and iTunes and embraced the file system and Finder. I used simple folder structures for my documents, photos and music and let Hazel do most of the work. I also replaced journaling app Day One with a new .txt file each day.

What would be your dream setup?

I’m not smart enough to know my dream setup in 10+ years.

But in the shorter term, I want my hardware to be faster, harder to break, more reliable, and have longer battery life.

IFTTT for iPhone

Thu, 11 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0000

IFTTT has just released its iPhone app.

The ‘activity log’ stream is the first thing you see in the app, and I’m glad, as it’s vital to know your recipes are running fine. On the website it’s always been buried in the nav and I’m sure many users don’t know it even exists.

Elsewhere it does everything you’d expect, like create, find and toggle on/off recipes. There’s also three new channels you can use thanks to the app: Photos, Reminders, and Contacts. Though you have to either open the app or allow it to leave location services on to run recipes these new channels.

IFTTT for iPhone doesn’t ‘automate your entire phone’, but it’s a very good first effort.

Download it for free [iTunes link]

Lumi

Thu, 11 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0000

Martin Stiksel and Felix Miller, creators of Last.fm, are again trying to take data users don’t care about and do something useful with it:

“Usually the only interaction people have with their browsing history is deleting it,” Miller said. But he and Stiksel said they hope Lumi changes that. ”Browsing history gives us a great picture of what people like, without them having to do anything,” Stiksel said.

However:

… the success of Lumi will depend on users being prepared to allow the service to interpret their browsing histories in order to provide them with recommended news stories, reviews and blogs. “The browsing history is owned by the user and securely put onto our platform, only the user has access to it,” Martin insisted. “We are not interested in the data from a commercial point of view.”

This is the problem. Lumi has arrived at the worst time possible. The majority of every interview piece on the service is made up of the creators reassuring us that Lumi is private, safe and secure.

When it came time to upload my browsing history to Lumi I paused… and left. Uploading that data to a web service in this post-Snowden world doesn’t feel right.

BBC gives up on 3D, for now

Sat, 06 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0000

The BBC is to suspend 3D programming for an indefinite period due to a “lack of public appetite” for the technology. Kim Shillinglaw, the BBC’s head of 3D, said it has “not taken off” with audiences who find it “quite hassly”. The BBC began a two-year 3D trial in 2011, broadcasting several shows and events in 3D, including the Olympic Games and Strictly Come Dancing.

There are a number of reasons for the lack of public uptake, I believe.

First, there isn’t actually a BBC 3D channel (When the BBC are showing something 3D they take over one of the HD channels.). A dedicated channel provides a place to advertise upcoming showings as well as broadcast 3D nature documentary repeats to get people who stumble upon the channel interested.

Second, even if you have a channel you’re at the mercy of Sky and Virgin Media who put they’re own channels front & centre and bury others deep in the menu system.

Third, people just don’t like 3D. Or don’t like it enough that it’s worth the hassle. Our household watched the last half of the London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony in 3D and then completely forgot about its existence.

Being publicly funded the BBC generally are the first to drop a dying service. Not being a fan of 3D myself, I’m hoping this is the beginning of us being rid of the 3D menace.

Ray-Ban v. Tom Ford

Thu, 04 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0000

The Ray-Ban Wayfarer is a classic. A cultural icon. However, I’ve recently switched from them to Tom Ford for all my eyewear needs.

The definitive Wayfarer just isn’t what it used to be. Cheap, but identical, copies have flooded the market. Ray-Ban have been introducing more and more tacky colour variations and lenses. But most importantly the build quality has been dropping and the price has been rising. The 2113 Wayfarer’s I bought in 2009 for £60 are now double that.

Step in Tom Ford. His eyewear is generally 20-30% more expensive than Ray-Ban’s, but they’re worth it in my opinion. The build quality is unbelievably superior to Ray-Ban’s. My Wayfarer’s now feel like plastic pieces of crap. And Mr. Ford makes some stunning looking glasses. They’re beautiful.

So if you’re in the market for either some new prescription or sun glasses, give Tom Ford a go. Go to a store, try on a pair, I’m sure you’ll love them.

Whatever Works

Fri, 31 May 2013 00:00:00 -0000

I write very, very little, but I obsess over writing tools and try every piece of software imaginable. Same with the platform of this blog. Hand coded HTML, MoveableType, Tumblr, Jeykll, Octopress, and now, WordPress have powered this blog over the years.

But what does Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin use to blog and write? Well, he uses good old fashioned LiveJournal to blog. And to write? Wordstar 4.0! A program from 1987.

Angelpoise Lamp Switches Switch

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0000

I recently needed a new lamp. So I went to a store to pick up my favourite, the Anglepoise 1227. But to my horror I discovered that the model has been changed slightly, but significantly.

Previously the one/off switch was on the top of the lampshade: Top of old Anglepoise 1227

It’s now been changed to a mid-cable switch: Bottom of new Anglepoise 1227

That switch makes zero sense in every circumstance (and particularly on a balanced-arm lamp where you’re constantly moving the arm around). I’ve had to use those switches too often for too long now, and I still cannot see a single benefit. Imagine, you get your lamp out of the box, place it on the table top and then for time immemorial you have to bend over, squeeze your arm through the small gap between the table and the wall, and then run your fingers through the cable to find the switch.

Is there a single scenario where that is a better choice of switch? Placed on my desk, I’d have to get my arm over 4 feet of wood every time I wanted to turn it off/on. On my bed side table, I’d have to dislocate my shoulder to reach it. It’s insanity.

The only reason I can see why it’s so popular is due to low cost for the manufacturer. Or am I missing a benefit or reason? Please email me. I genuinely want to know why this switch exists so prominently.

Sony

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0000

Over at the New Yorker Nicholas Thompson has written a short article to preface the announcement of the new Sony PlayStation later on this evening:

Sony’s Moment of Truth (Nicholas Thompson)

[reading time: 2 minutes]

It’s short and makes all the right points:

[…] The company also kept putting its money on crippled horses. “3-D will sweep the world,” Howard Stringer, its previous C.E.O., said less than three years ago. And Sony holds onto products, and proprietary systems, for too long. The Walkman was awesome. And it should have been the iPod. Instead, it became the MiniDisc. By the time Sony won its fight to make Blu-ray a standard, physical discs were becoming obsolete. Now, gaming consoles are in trouble, too. A million Angry Birds have crashed into them; Farmville Farmers have dug up the grass around them.

When I was growing up (I was born in 1991) Sony seem like the company. Everything electronic and worth more than £50 seemed to be made by Sony in my household. They were considered reliable and it was just what you naturally bought. Your old Sony TV would die, (ours died after in 2002 after 20 years of loyal service) and you’d buy a new one. Now however Sony is just one of dozens of companies making televisions that all look the same as each other. So you just go for the cheapest one which is considered reliable. (Which is either Samsung or LG in our house these days.) However despite its demise elsewhere, one Sony product has remained with me throughout my life: the PlayStation. I use to love them. But for me each one has got worse and worse. And this new PlayStation will be Sony’s last chance. I have the standard complaint about the PS3: the software updates! They are endless and never get anywhere near maxing out my internet connection.

This is my usual routine when I want to play a game:

Put in disc
Software update is required to play game
Play a game on my iPhone until it’s ready
Software is finally updated
Cannot be bothered now
Turn off PlayStation

The only reason I haven’t switched to Xbox is simply because of the controller. The PlayStation one has stayed roughly the same for years and I find it perfect. The Xbox controller is horrible to use. That’s all that’s stopping me from switching sides. The new PlayStation had better be bloody good!

February 21, 2013: Well, the PlayStation has been what seems like 22% announced. We’ve got some of the details, but not all. I watched the event and it was dull, dull, dull. Plus, there’s a whole new controller that looks pretty terrible:

Selling Gene Data

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0000

Here’s a piece from the Guardian on how the NHS is setting up a database for genes and going to be selling the data they collect:

Sale of personal gene data condemned as ‘unethical and dangerous’

[reading time: 3 minutes]

It’s summed up in the first paragraph:

Private firms will soon be able to buy people’s medical and genetic data without their consent and, in certain cases, acquire personal information that might enable them to identify individuals.

This scares me. You expect this stuff from DNA testing companies like 23andMe, but not from the NHS, a publicly funded health service. Yes, this information is important. I’m sure all the great medical breakthroughs of the next century are likely to come from studying genetics. So thus all the money from the problems they solve and the information they discover will too. And that gets Big Pharma excited. Which is why they’re willing to pay a decent amount of money to the NHS for this data. Which means basically the NHS is just going to be a middle man, and the middle man never gets rich. The NHS will do okay from these deals, sure, but not enough to justify selling the most personal of all data about the people who pay for the NHS with their taxes. It’s not worth it. Instead of just keeping this data saved somewhere and maybe fiddling around with it to see how obese the nation is and how many people have descended from a Bavarian sheep farmer, they should go on the offensive, despite their limited money now-a-days, and try to do some real good. I’d much rather read the headline “NHS cures Alzheimer’s”, than “GlaxoSmithKline cures Alzheimer’s.”

And of course selling the data is a side issue to the main issue that they’re collecting it at all. But I’m not going to get involved in that whole affair, especially as I don’t even know how I feel about it.

I’ll just say this: I don’t trust the NHS with my postcode, let alone the gene data that makes me, me. (And how could you blame me when the section of the NHS in control of all this data has a website that looks like this [dead link, cached copy].)

Yahoo Pipes

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0000

UPDATE: Yahoo Pipes is now sadly dead. Find an alternative.

Blogging is serious business now. And one common way of building up an ‘audience’ is only talking about one particular subject. Basically you need to appeal to a niche, however big or small, in order to build loyal readers. However, for the majority of people, blogging is just a bit of fun and they talk about whatever they feel like. I do this for example. And I’m sure some of the blogs you follow do this. So it’s understandable that some of the posts are about a subject you’re not interested in.

Thankfully a service exists to help you. It’s called Yahoo! Pipes, and you can use it to filter out blog posts you’re not interested in. Here’s how…

Note: if you do not consume your blogs via RSS, or don’t even know what RSS or Google Reader is, please stop reading.

For this tutorial I’m going to be using Yahoo! Pipes on the blog ‘The Happy Hermit’. Andreas Moser, the man who runs the blog, sometimes posts film reviews. But let’s say, as an example, that you have no interest in film reviews. You can filter his blog to block out his film reviews.

Here’s how:

Go to pipes.yahoo.com
Click the blue button ‘Create a pipe’ at the top middle.
You’ll need a Yahoo! account. If you have one, sign in. If not, sign up.
Drag ‘Fetch Feed’ to the ‘drag modules here’ grid.
Now you need to find the RSS feed for the blog you want to filter. Most blogs have it somewhere on the sidebar.
Copy the URL of the RSS feed and paste it into the ‘Fetch Feed’ box.
Click ‘Operators’ on the left sidebar. Then drag ‘Filter’ to the ‘drag modules here’ grid again.
In the ‘Filter’ box change ‘All’ to ‘Any’ from the dropdown menu.
Next, click in the box under the word ‘Rules’ and select ‘item.title’ from the bottom. (If you plan on filtering words that appear in the actual blog post rather than just the title, choose ‘item.description’. Though I’m not sure how reliable this is as I’ve never used it myself.)
Now in the final box add whatever words you want to filter and block. In this example I’m using ‘Film Review’.
Join the white dots.
Name your Pipe.
Press ‘Save’ and then ‘Run Pipe…’ at the top.
You’re all done! Now click ‘Get as RSS’.

Yahoo! Pipes is also very useful for big high volume blogs like The Verge and Ars Technica as you can filter as many things as you want. Here’s my Yahoo! Pipe of Ars Technica for example:

Not Using Flickr for My Mobile Uploads

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0000

Flickr has had its ups and downs over the years, but I’ve always been a fan. Since 2006 I’ve used Flickr to store ALL my photos as I’ve always thought it will be one of the few services still around in many years time. Everything I take is uploaded and tagged, because the big problem I’ve found with iPhone photos is they either end up deleted or stored in a big folder on Dropbox. So if I wanted to find a picture of my Dog in the snow I’d have to sift through thousands of photos. Instead I just go to Flickr and search “buster AND snow” and I find it instantly.

Anyway, Flickr is currently enjoying a bit of renaissance due to its new iPhone app and the fact that Instagram has announced its less than favourable new privacy policy. Lots of people on my Twitter stream are now sharing photos from their iPhone with Flickr. However, there’s two BIG reasons why I won’t be doing the same.

First: whenever you go to a Flickr photo page for the first time Flickr tries to shove their new iPhone app down your throat. A fullscreen banner pops up which you have to get rid of before you can see the photo.

Second: their mobile layout is terrible. I’m here to see a photograph right? So what do they do? They make the photo tiny!

So basically, they force you to make an unnecessary tap (which is a big deal in the fast paced, on the move, Twitter world) and don’t display the content properly.

My Favourite DuckDuckGo !bang

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve blogged about the search engine DuckDuckGo before. I love it. And one of my favourite features of the site is !bangs. !bangs allow you to directly search other websites. They are immensely handy and time saving.

Here are some of my favourites:

I’m Feeling Ducky — !: Go straight to the webpage of the top result of a DuckDuckGo search. Example: ‘! bob dylan’

Google — !g: Sometimes it’s handy to be able to quickly search DuckDuckGo’s evil alternative.

Wikipedia — !w: I use this endlessly.

Amazon — !a: With this !bang, 1-Click purchasing and Amazon Prime I can buy stuff fast.

YouTube — !yt: Quickly find a video.

Google Cache — !cache: If I go to a webpage that is offline for some reason I just type ‘!cache’ followed by the URL into DuckDuckGo and it will take me to Google’s cached version of that page.

Searching Membership services

Pinboard — !pinboard: If you’re a member of Pinboard this is very convenient.

Rdio — !rdio: I do not usually have the Rdio Mac app open, so this is a good !bang to know for when I want to quickly listen to one particular song within the browser.

Other Google services

Google Images — !i

Google Mail — !gmail

Google Maps — !gm

Google News — !gn

You can see DuckDuckGo’s full list of !bangs here.

8 December, 2012: One the great things about DuckDuckGo is that you can submit your own !bangs. I submitted Coral CDN the other day and it has just been added! I find Coral CDN better than Google’s Cache so from now if a website’s down I’ll be using !coral to see it. Example: ‘!coral cnn.com’

Maciej Ceglowski Visits Australia to See the Total Eclipse of the Sun

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0000

Maciej Cegłowski, founder of the amazing Pinboard, has an equally amazing blog. His latest post is expectedly good.

This is my favourite bit:

On the drive-time radio show in Port Douglas, Australia, the host promises to bring on an astrologer to talk about “what the eclipse means for your life”. But for me that’s the opposite of what makes it wonderful. The eclipse doesn’t even know you exist. Nature provides a brief alignment of the Moon and Sun that is completely foreordained, immutable, and will happen with Swiss precision for another billion or so years, whether or not anyone is looking. It is on us to aggregate into litttle bubbles of protoplasm, develop eyes, emerge onto land, discover fire, evolve language, ask the brainier among us where the thing will happen, and make the appropriate travel arrangements. A good way to feel small is to look at the Wikipedia list of future solar eclipses, and think about that fact that between one and another of them you are going to disappear, but the eclipses will keep happening, about one a year, until the moon finally drifts too far away from the earth to perform the magic trick anymore. It’s the greatest thing that happens in the sky. Find one on the list you can go see, and see it!

Read the rest here.

Find out the Actual MPG Your Car Gets

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0000

One of the first things a person looks at when finding a potential new car nowadays is what MPG (miles per gallon) it gets. However, there’s often a massive discrepancy between what the manufacturer lists the MPG as versus what you’ll get in the real world. So finding out what you’re likely to achieve day-to-day is vital.

Luckily a website exists to help you. Fuelly.com is ‘a site that tracks your gas mileage over time, helping you calculate fuel expenses as you drive.’ And Fuelly has ’tracked 3,271,504 fuel-ups in 153,654 vehicles over 922,356,497 miles of driving.’ This means Fuelly knows what MPG pretty much every car in the world actually gets.

So head over to Fuelly’s ‘Browse All Cars’ page and pick the car you’re interested in to find how many MPG it is actually getting.

Landing Pages

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0000

Sky and Virgin ‘provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet’. So why is both their homepages some sort of weird 1990’s Yahoo!/Lycos landing page? If they want to change the homepage of their elderly customers computers to get a couple of pennies in advertising money, that’s fine. But why make it the main page of their domain?! Surely 99% of people going to their domain are either new customers looking into buying services, or current customers logging into their account?!

Sky homepage

Virgin Media homepage

Droplr Pro

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:00 -0000

Droplr has just announced its ‘Pro’ membership option.

I’ve been trying out Pro for a few weeks now as a Beta tester and this is my little review.

Features

For $30 a year (or $3 a month if you don’t want to pay annually) you get:

Larger files and increased storage. Files up to 1GB in size and 100GB of storage.
No ads. This includes seeing ads on other peoples stuff. (While you’re logged in)
Statistics.
Private Drops.
Customized Drop Views. (Well, three differen’t colours.)
Option to use your own domain.

Thoughts

Pro isn’t a key to an unknown Droplr world. It doesn’t transform the experience. The Pro features are just lovely additions to an already great service. I don’t mean this badly. Pro simply embeds itself effortlessly. No fuss or fluff.

One of the main reasons you’ll want to upgrade is for its value for money. For example, its big competitor, CloudApp, has a Pro option that costs $15 a year more and the only features are:

Unlimited file uploads a day.
Upload files up to 250MB.
Option to use your own domain.

Dropbox even comes up short as they charge $200 a year for 100GB (I know Dropbox is a very different service to Droplr). Droplr’s $30 Pro looks amazingly good value in comparison.

Conclusion

If you share stuff online, Droplr, and Droplr Pro is for you.

Honourable mention: the sign up proccess for Pro is amazingly simple. The simpliest I’ve ever encountered.

Negative Instapaper

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0000

For me, reading is like walking. I know it’s really good for me, and I never regret doing it, but I just often struggle to find the motivation to start. I need my hand held and awesome tools to help me out. For walking it’s RunKeeper and for reading it’s Instapaper.

Instapaper is a truly great app and is the original and still the best ‘read later’ service out there.

However, there’s one thing that bugs me about the app. And that’s the way it handles read articles.

When you’re done reading that awesome New Yorker article that you’ve been putting off for weeks because it’s so long, you’re happy. You’ve doubtless enjoyed it, but are now ready to stop seeing its title and its endless page-indicating circles haunting you when you open up the app. So what do you do?

Well this is where I got confused the first time I used Instapaper. I’d heard Instapaper was basiclly a to-do list for stuff to read so I presumed once you’ve read something you’re meant to tick it off the list. But there didn’t appear to be an option for this. There was a ‘trash’ button, but I didn’t want to delete it. I stumbled around the App for a little while trying to work it out. Eventually I dropped the isssue and moved on. But after reading a bunch more articles, and with my Instapaper account clogged up I decided just to delete them. But when I did tap the trash icon I was suprisingly presented with two options:

The Top of Instapaper

This was kinda baffling. I didn’t understand what ‘Move to Archive’ meant. Is that normal procedue for a read article? These two options were so negative I presumed they weren’t the route you’re supposed to take. I thought I just couldn’t find the the ‘You’re awesome for reading that article, click here if you’re done with it’ button.

In the end I just assumed ‘Move to Archive’ was what I should be pressing and continued happily using the app to this day.

However, everytime I tap that trash icon and am presented with those two options – the ‘Delete’ one standing out in bright red – it feels like such a cop out. It’s so negative.

Marco Arment, Instapaper’s creator, says he doesn’t like to blatantly copy a competitors feature, even if it’s better. He prefers to come up with a new, smarter way of doing it. I can respect that, and I respect Marco greatly, but please, dear God, just rip off the way Read It Later handles it.

With their app, once you’ve read an article you just simply tap the ‘tick’ icon. It’s then swiftly gone, and your back at the main article list screen ready and roaring to read another article.

(Also, a tick is such a positive little fella. It reminds me of doing well in school and the ticks yogurt companies put on their pots telling me all the good stuff that is in it.)

And of course tapping the tick is quicker. It’s one tap, not two.

Read It Later
Toolbar of Read It Later

Instapaper
Toolbar of Instapaper

iOS6 Maps

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0000

In Apple’s iOS 6 mobile operating system, they decided to ditch Google’s Maps for their very own maps.

But maps are hard. Really hard. And Apple have failed. And now people are angry because this new Maps app is worse than it was before, when it used Google’s glorious Map data.

Personally, I’m not too angry, as I now use Waze for navigating in my car, and use public transit rarely. However, the Google-based Maps app was great for finding addresses, and navigating when walking. And lets be honest, a step backwards is always a bad thing. And iOS 6 Maps is a step backwards. I’ve used it just a couple times, but each time it has failed in some regard.

For example, when searching for ‘Heathrow Airport’, (one of the biggest and busiest airports in the world) Apple goes to a minicab company many miles away. And when you do eventually find the right Heathrow Airport amoungst the collection of irrelevent dots, you’ll find that Apple’s map of Heathrow is awful. Nothing is where it should be. Roads go over the terminals, and even over the bloody runway!

iOS6 Maps fail

Being Apple, the maps look beautiful, but its data is poor. So please, if you spot an error with the map, lay a pin on it within the app, tap on it, and then tap ‘Report a problem’. User power triumphs all.

How effective is Googles 'Sponsored Links' on you?

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0000

As a web-literate person I like to think I’m pretty good at avoiding the pitfalls of online advertising. You have to be an idiot to click on 99% of internet advertisements, as they are spam and irrelevant to what you’re browsing.

However, Google’s AdSense algorithms are as smart as its PageRank one, and it’s one of the few trusted and effective ad publishers out there. Despite this thought I thought I was pretty damn good at avoiding the ominous ‘sponsored links’. However, according to my Google ‘web history’ I seem to average around 1 sponsored click every day! That’s a lot more than I thought it would be.

To see this yourself, visit https://www.google.com/history/. You’ll now see all your Google searches. On the left are filter options. Click ‘Sponsored Links’ and… there you go! Every Google ad you’ve ever clicked.

Hovering and Hogging

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0000

I know almost nothing about UI and ‘usability’. However, I know when something is stupid. And these hovering bars that follow you as you scroll (highlighted in red) are stupid. They are not just over-sized and ugly, but are actually giving me zero useful information and permanently taking up a sizeable chunk of the page. Do I really care that there’s ‘about 2,230,000 results’? Or am I ever likely to think ‘Crap, am I reading the politics section of the Guardian? Oh, I’m at the ‘In Pictures’ section, right. That hovering bar is handy’? No I’m not. So leave my limited pixel space for actual content.

And, this is Google and the Guardian doing this. Sort it out guys.

Guardian iPad app bar

Gmail gets it right though, displaying actual useful tools that I’m likely to use when scrolling: Gmail scrolling bar

Through the Teeth for in the Flesh

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0000

I’ve become interested in football (soccer) recently. As a kid I was mildly interested, like most English children are. I inherited the sport. I also inherited my team, Chelsea FC. I remember going to a game or two with my Dad to see them play. Wether I requested to go or not I can’t recall. All I remember is being mostly scared. 40,000+ people around you is a nightmare for any introvert. It wasn’t too bad in the stadium. Everything’s organised and fairly controlled, despite the noise. It’s the ludicrous amount of people you encounter on your way. On the trains in particular.

Anyway, I went to a few games and slowly became less interested in football. Last year though I started playing Football Manager. It’s a simulation game that to most sounds as dull as Snow Plow Simulator. However, it has a massive audience and is amazingly addictive, even for someone like me who had been away from the football ‘scene’ for 5 years. I eventually wanted to see these data ‘players’ for real. (Well, on a TV screen) I wanted to put a face to a set of attributes and I slowly began watching TV football games more and more, consuming every game I could.

After a year of watching frequently on the TV I last week decided to go to a live game again. I decided to watch ‘my’ team. Chelsea. This is where the nightmare begins.

I go to ChelseaFC.com > Tickets > Buy tickets online > Match tickets > Non-members. I see a game called “annual lunch”. Apparently it’s an away fixture. ‘Mmmm,’ I thought. ‘Never heard of that team.’ I click “buy tickets”. I’m presented with “£168”. ‘OK’ I thought. ‘I’ll try an unofficial site. It is a little odd I can’t buy tickets from the fucking Chelsea FC website though.’

I Googled around, but… nothing. Nothing as in ’not one game’. No site was selling available tickets. I eventually found a website called viagogo. It appears to be a website where people, and presumably companies, sell-on tickets. I didn’t like the idea of that, it sounded dodgy. But, yeh, ‘I’m desperate.’ ‘Yes! Arsenal game! Arsenal game! Oh. £158 a ticket.’

I go back to ChelseaFC.com. I find my way to the membership page. It seems becoming a member for (at least) £42 you gets you more access to tickets. ‘Okay. Whatever. I don’t care anymore. I’ll do that I guess.’ I pay £48 for a two year membership for “tickets only” on their SSL-less shitty website and after a couple of days my membership finally becomes active. I log in with the password they sent me over e-mail. [They required a password when I signed up. Quite why I don’t know, since they reset it and send you their own chosen one anyway.] ‘Okay. There are more games available.’ It seems the only home game that isn’t already sold out is over a month away. ‘That’s a long time, but okay.’ I spend quite a while evaluating the seating plan attempting to get the the right seat. I call my Dad to make sure he’s off work that day. He is but complains, like me, about the price: £51 a ticket. (That’s over 50p a minute). I go to buy. ‘Mmm. So it seems I can only choose the stand where I want to sit, not even the section, or let alone seat. ‘Huff Whatever.’ I go to payment.

“You can only buy one ticket per member.” ‘One fucking ticket?!’ … … …

Seriously?! I completely understand a limit. They don’t want one member buying 30 tickets or anything silly like that. I also understand that Chelsea has a small-ish stadium for the size of a club it is. But they limit it at 1?! Say you’ve got an American friend to visit and he wants to see a Chelsea game. He has to become a fucking member to buy one single ticket just once?!

Maybe I am just over-reacting. However, I’m cutting my loses now and just getting away from this whole dirty rotten business. I don’t feel wanted and neither does my money.

Note: This seems a common problem, not just with Chelsea. I’ve attempted to buy many tickets this past week. I tried Bayern Munich and Ajax. I thought I’d turn it into a little holiday as my birthday just passed. But, Bayerns ticket site isn’t in English and Google translate is no good. With Ajax I can’t remember the specifics. The only thing I do remember from their buggy website is that I had to buy an overpriced buffet if I wanted a ticket.

I’ll probably eventually go see my local team, Watford FC, play. Despite being such a small team they had the best ticketing system. They were the only team where you could pick your actual seat. However, at the moment “there has been an unexpected error” on their site. Also, it’s powered by the bastardly Ticketmaster. Not good signs.

One day, some day, I’ll manage to buy a ticket.

October 22, 2011: Look! An actual ticket for an actual football match!

Watford FC ticket

My Newspaper Dream

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0000

Every 6 months or so I go to my local newsagents and buy every newspaper on the shelf, hoping to find a news companion I can maybe subscribe to.

I sit on my floor and spread them all out and spend the afternoon reading them but I never really like any.

I was going to now go into great detail as to why. How I think the Daily Mail is pretty much the worst publication to ever be put to print in the UK. (It’s not just bad, it’s poisenous in fact.) I was going to talk about how The Times is just straight up boring and how the Guardian go overboard with sport articles sometimes, publishing stuff that seems forced just to beef up their sports section.

But anyway, all you need to know is none of them fit. I don’t mind the Guardian and the Independent, but would I want to spend £300 a year reading one? No. Because I only read around 1 in every 15 articles in the paper and that ratio isn’t good enough.

So, why can’t I subscribe to the individual journalists I like? I want someone to create a writers network website. The fantasty is that all news and magazine publishers allow their staffs work to appear on this network, for a price. I can then subscribe to a journalist for a certain amount per month or per article/photo.

It won’t just be a website, of course. They’ll be an iPhone and iPad app that produces your custom ’newspaper’, a bit like Flipboard does with your social networks. There could even be a Magcloud like service that would print and send your ‘paper/magazine’ every month to your door. A reccomendation engine would accompany all this. ‘Hey, you like Kevin McCarra of the Guardian so why not subscribe to Sam Wallace of the Independent? Start your free 2 week trial of this writers articles now!’

This is my dream.

December 17, 2011: Journalisted offers some of the functionality I yearn for.

August 15, 2013: The Guardian have implemented a ‘Follow by email’ feature. Example:

January 7, 2014: It seems the Guardian have removed the ‘Follow by email’ feature.

DuckDuckGo

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0000

So what’s a good search engine? Well, Google comes to mind. Ha, obviously. Bing, Ask and Yahoo are all poor. However, a man called Gabriel Weinberg in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania has created a search engine that seriously rivals the might of Google.

It’s called DuckDuckGo and is amazing. I did some basic tests comparing Google to it and Google did just win. However, DDG (DuckDuckGo) has great character and some nifty features which makes it my default. Also, when I did these tests I was looking at the extreme end of search. So I was seeing if it could tell me when Hendrix died, the time in Oslo, my local weather and if it could do various conversions. Google edged this because it did it so gracefully and beautifully. However, when I stopped doing niche searches and just used DDG day-to-day I found it an equal to Google and that is incredibly high praise. I did more tests and in the first draft of this post talked about them but they’re really too boring to talk about here so I’ll just say Google beats DDG at certain things and vice versa. Which again, for a one man site, is amazing.

Here are some particular things I really like about DDG:

!bang syntax. I mainly used Google’s ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ feature. So I’d search ‘in bruges imdb’ and it’d take me right to In Bruges’ IMDB page. However, when I needed multiple results and wasn’t sure of the page I wanted I would have to go to google.com and search. DDG avoids this with the !bang syntax. So now I search ‘!imdb in bruges’ and it’d take me right there. If I don’t know the site I wanted but am ‘feeling lucky’ I’d just search ‘!ducky in bruges’ and it’d take me to the first result. Or say I wanted to buy a Bob Dylan album on Amazon. I’d normally go to amazon.co.uk and search. Now I can just type ‘!a bob dylan’ and DDG will take me right to Amazon’s search results page for Bob Dylan. That is very handy.
Security. Google is very smart. It’s constantly working out ways to get you clicking stuff and tracks you in very intricate ways. DDG doesn’t do this. Also, Google does have SSL support but it takes away a lot of Google’s usual search features. It’s also not smart. DDG knows I’m searching on its HTTPS site so will take me to the HTTPS version of the link I’m clicking where possible.
It’s customizable. You can edit pretty much anything you like. Colors, text size, layout and you can even turn off ads!

There are some things I did really miss about using Google though. Here are the cons of DuckDuckGo usage:

No iOS support. Currently you’re only allowed to use Google, Bing or Yahoo as your default search engine in mobile Safari. You can go to ddg.gg everytime you want to search, but that’s tiresome. There is also an actual DDG iOS app, but you don’t want that.
No auto-complete when searching.
The spell checker is bad. Google is the best in the world at spell checking because they have so much context.
Google is prettier. DuckDuckGo is like Samuel Johnson. An ugly mother-fucker who occasionally stutters but is charming and clever, so you forget all that.
Google.com is the hub. You visit it and from there you access your e-mail, documents, news, maps and more. DDG becomes another unnecessary non-Google site to visit.
Consider DDG ‘the face of the web’. If you want a deep extensive search and plan on trawling through many pages DDG will say ‘no more results’ and give you the option to redirect to Google, Bing, etc.
When I search for a cinema Google gives me showings, a map and the telephone number all without clicking a single link. DDG isn’t as smart in this regard.

I’d imagine most people will prefer Google, if only for familiarities sake. However, DuckDuckGo is a great, endearing alternative. So please give it a try!

September 27, 2011: Another con of using DDG: as I mentioned, the site is customizable. It uses javascript to impose your favoured colours, layout, etc. This can be slow. Generally only a second or two, though it can be longer. This doesn’t sound like too much of an issue, but it will be after a few hundred searches. Sometimes I find and click what I’m looking for before my settings ‘arrive’, so to speak. Please consider this.

September 29, 2011: I listed bad spell checker as one of the cons of DDG. However, this probably proves me wrong:
DuckDuckGo spelling correction

May 8, 2012: I’m still using DuckDuckGo happily. It’s gotten a lot faster recently and I’ve become a Jedi at using !bangs.

November 21, 2012: Still loving DuckDuckGo!!!

January 7, 2014: Using it everyday, still.

What’s next for Barcelona? Three ways for improvement

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 -0000

It has been a undeniably wonderful season for Barcelona. They have not only won three competitions but won over the hearts of many football fans. I certainly adore them, but do think there’s a little room for improvements and here are my (rather obvious) thoughts.

Improve the squad

This current team are constantly being called the greatest in the world. I disagree. I think they may have the greatest starting 11, but if you ignore those 11 and concentrate on the rest of the squad it’s actually rather weak. Barças rivals Real Madrid have a far superior squad with a very good reserve player in nearly every position. The Catalans on the other hand have an assortment of over priced aging players and various young Spaniards from Barcelona B that have occasionally proved unreliable.

Barcelona’s fabulous 11 is almost too much of a team. If one of them is missing the system is prone to breaking. In fact, the 11 didn’t even draw a game in La Liga last season. All draws and loses occurred when at least one backup player started. Of course it sounds obvious that a backup player isn’t going to perform as well as one from the first team and that’s to be expected. But the problem is that, as I said, the 11 rely on each other so greatly to function as the ‘best team in the world’. They are a mind-blowing system of players whose styles compliment each other in an exceptional way. (That’s why Lionel Messi scores almost half as many goals for Argentina as for Barcelona.) When a new player comes along they seemingly struggle to be part of that system. Even the youth (La Masia) players, raised the Barça way, occasionally stick out when alongside others from the 11. And the likes of Milito and Mascherano look alien alongside them. And this brings me onto my next point…

Shrewd transfer dealings

Maybe it isn’t surprising, considering their reliance on players coming through La Masia, that Barças purchases in recent years have often been so poor. But is is odd considering nearly every other aspect of the club is so well run. In just the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons they spent roughly €140 million on what many consider flops and €50 million on ‘good’ buys. That’s a terrible ratio and if you include wages and fees, they have wasted an awful amount of money in a very short space of time.

Barça also never seem to bag a bargain and are constantly over-paying. Whether it be for young, unproven players like Keirrison (20, €14M), Chygrynskiy (22, €25M) and Cáceres (21, €16.5m) or aged, experienced ones like Henry (29, €24M) or Milito (28, €17M) and Villa (29, €40M). Naturally, many would rightly argue that investing in young talent is a good thing as they are buying players at the right age, as their wage demands are small and they could be sold at a later date for a similar or greater price. But these young buys never seem to reach their potential and are usually loaned out and loose their value and demand before being moved on. This could be down to bad luck. But you surely can’t have €140 worth of bad luck in two years?! If it wasn’t for the financial weight of the club and the quality of La Masia graduates Barça could be in a very different position in the table.

Aside: does any one else think if Barça had Arsene Wenger as Director of Football they would be unstoppable?

Keep hold of Guardiola

Guardiola’s contract seems to be pretty much extended one year at a time season-by-season. Whether it’s his or Barças idea to do it this way I don’t know. All I know is that ‘Pep’ is often curiously self-deprecating. He insists he’s just steering a very talented ship. Maybe he’s just being humble, but I think deep down he doubts his own abilities. He may just believe he’s advising other managers players and playing with a system inherited from Johan Cruyff. Also, when asked about rumours of moving on to another club he seems open and flattered by the prospect and gives the stock ‘my contract runs ’til 20XX, after that you never know’ line.

He’s been at Barcelona his entire coaching career and most of his playing one and you would imagine that’d would breed the sort of man who would be inherently loyal. But it seems he’s certainly not going to be the Catalan Alex Ferguson and may likely be tempted to prove himself elsewhere.

Anyway, I believe Barcelona need to hold onto him. Not only for the the Ferguson-effect of stability, but of course because he wins trophies consistently. La Liga three times in a row and the UEFA Champions League twice. A sensational record! Just imagine if Bojan’s late goal versus Inter Milan in the 2nd leg of the semi-final in 2010 stood? He could of won it three times in a row by now!

Ignore the critics

Barcelona are loved by nearly all. Even the Manchester United fans seemed content to loose to such a brilliant team in the Champions League final recently. They are known as the good guys in football; financially secure and the best team in Europe. Maybe they should just keep doing what they’re doing! :)

WTF Facebook‽

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0000

I recently got MobileMe. When I was setting it up to sync all my contacts over multiple devices I somehow lost around half of my phone contacts. It wasn’t too big a deal as I have few contacts and most are intimate friends and family. Except for my friend Sam who lives in Northampton. I had no way of getting in contact with him. He isn’t a friend on Facebook and all I could remember was his now defunct and embarrassing Hotmail username. I could just wait until he got in contact with me. But he’s a Formula 1 mechanic and I needed advice about my little Honda.

Next I typed his email address into Google hoping it would take me to one of his online profiles, but it returned no results. I tried to add his Brother on Facebook and get in contact that way, but Facebook search is awful and I couldn’t find him. It couldn’t find Sam either. Well, the right Sam.

I eventually remembered that when I needed to reset my Facebook password a few weeks ago it listed all my associated e-mail address to choose which one I wanted to send the new password to. I typed in Sam’s hotmail account and clicked ‘forgot password’? and sure enough it listed his Gmail address.

I thought, ‘great, I’ll send him a quick e-mail now’. I’m halfway through asking for his details when I hear the indistinguishable noise of that Facebook chat beep. I go to the tab and sure enough I can see a chatbox. Sam and his Brother are chatting back and forth about what he wants for Christmas. ‘WTF’ I thought. This was bizarre. I typed in “Matt?”. He replied “yea”. I said “Sam has been hacked. Ha. Facebook security. Bullshit.”

I got to Sam’s profile page and sure enough I am logged in as him. I can post and change settings. I didn’t, but I could. I haven’t tried this with any other accounts, because you know, it’s probably illegal or something and this may of just been a one-time glitch. But still, an idiot like me managed to hack into a Facebook account. By accident! All I needed was his e-mail address. No password – nothing. WTF Facebook?

iPhone 4 Review

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0000

“I don’t gamble. I don’t drink. My one vice is buying a new iPhone every summer. Well, that and lying about drinking and gambling.” — John Gruber

Design

From the few I’ve spoke to it seems that men like the new design and women don’t. The ladies don’t like the stainless steel around the edges or its sharpness. They find it unforgiving and masculine. Personally, I love it. Seeing stainless steel in an increasingly plastic society feels refreshing. Plus it’s a nice design wink to Dieter Rams and old Braun products. Most Apple designs are – but traditionally the iPhone never was. I’ve found the 4 to be both terrible and terrific in the hand because of its hard edges. Most reviewers loved the feel, and I do. But only sometimes. That cold stainless steel makes holding it very mechanical in portrait mode. It’s comforting and industrial. And after a while that feeling welds itself to you and it feels familiarly beautiful holding it. I imagine hand gun owners get that same feeling of ‘home’ when they rest they’re hands on it in their holster.

However – for me – in landscape mode when taking a video or photo it feels pretty bad. It feels pleasant but not comfortable. You have no grip and feel like your going to drop it. The problem is likely magnified with my large hands. But it’s the main reason I’m ordering a nice, round, grippy case.

I had my 3G for 2 years and dropped it quite a few times caseless and it never broke. I had some minor scratches and an obtrusion at the bottom from when I dropped it heavily once. But, it never broke, and I never experienced any of the fragility others reported. Yesterday I dropped my 4 from just below waist height. I was confident there would be no large damage. And there wasn’t. However, there are some really horrible scuff marks. Because of the square design each corner takes the full weight of impact. On iPhones of old the rounded bottom would sort of soften blow. But not with the 4. And these scuff marks are horrible! They aren’t too noticable by sight but are in the hand. The smoothness is now replaced with sharp scratches and it feels rough. Sure, it’s my own fault. But if you own it for 18 months (24 in my case) your going to drop it. And after several shunts I can imagine the phone looking really battered.

The flat, glass back makes it sit nicely on tables and it looks splendid. But I’d prefer a plastic back. Having glass on the reverse of the phone doubles your worries of dropping it and doubles the chance of damage if you do. Also, you don’t want to touch the rear. It’s smooth and lovely, but with sweaty hands it feels slippy and makes you not want to touch it for fear of smear. Yet another reason for purchasing a case.

Tech

Jesus Christ!!! The screen is stunning. Beyond belief stunning. It is mind blowingly clear. It’s so perfect you don’t want to touch it. I just want to load up a Andreas Gursky picture and mount my iPhone. Other phones screens are like regular printer paper; the iPhone’s screen is museum quality paper. (It makes me so excited for the new iPad.)

Other reviewers have praised the 4’s camera saying it’s pretty good but not top of the range. That may be so, but this new camera is more than enough. I consider it just as good as nearly all point and shot cameras. As a photographer I honestly believe I could use the 4 on assignment in most cases. Not for studio based stuff, but certainly onside on location. It’s hard to take a bad picture with it. The point to focus feature is nice but I rarely use it as the large f-stop often makes it irrelevant. It’s handy occasionally though. The flash is okay. Again, nice to have. I haven’t used it enough to really critique it. It boosts everything nicely when using it in medium to low light. But the 4 is good generally adequate in low light. It’s good at night to get the job done. But whitewashes - like most flashes - so don’t expect too fine results.

It’s 720p video capabilities are better than it’s photo taking. The video is so good! Everyone I’ve shown videos to have been blown away. The biggest problem I’ve found with video is exporting it. I like to share it the moment I take it, on Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo, e-mail, etc. Most websites give you your own e-mail address so you can attach it, send it, and then the website will upload it. Bit of a problem though. Firstly, it’s compressed before the phone evens sends it and by the time the website of your choice compresses it again and converts it to flash it will look terrible. Really terrible! Secondly, you can only e-mail short videos. It’s based on how long it is and I’ve never been able to upload a video longer than a minute. That’s not very long. Say you’ve taken video on a holiday and edited it all together with the iMovie app. That could easily be 5 minutes long. So, the only way to share it is wait to you get home to your computer, connect your phone, and export it using a software of your choice. So much for cloud computing. The poorly compressed problem is also magnified due to the phones amazing screen.

The battery life is pretty poor. The tech on the iPhone is so immense that it was never going to be great. And all things considered the battery life is decent. But mine has never lasted more than a day. It lasts ages on stand-by. For example, I’ve been up 4 hours and am yet to touch my iPhone since fully charging it over night and the battery percentage is at 98%. Which is great. But the moment you start using that beast of a screen it tumbles faster than a V8’s MPG. Last week it lasted half a day with heavy usage. I shouldn’t have to worry about battery percentage 5 hours after its last full charge.

iOS4

The iPhone’s software has always been one of its plus points. Joyful and easy to use, it defined the product and put other phones interfaces to shame - and still does. On the surface iOS4 looks like any of its previous iterations. It looks exactly the same. The main new features are folders, the ability to group apps in folders; the ability to gift apps; wireless keyboard support; tap to focus video and 5x digital zoom. And, multitasking. I thought multitasking would be magnificent. And it is. But the 4 is so fast it’s almost pointless unless your in the middle of a game. And even then most games take a few seconds to start up and continue from where you left off. Also, to use multitasking you double-click the home button. Well, I’ve found only ninjas and pac man enthusiasts can do this. You have to tap it twice to quickly it’s unreal. Maybe it’s just me, but 70% of the time I want to bring up the multitasking dock it takes me back to the home screen.

The Antenna Issues

I have had some antenna problems. If I put just part of my finger against the bottom left black line of the phone I will lose bars. Usually at a rate of 1 per 5 seconds. I can easily avoid holding this area when using the screen. It’s when I’m talking on it that I experience the problem. That black line is right where my pinky finger likes to sit. So, as a result I have to move my whole hand higher or lift the pinky and look like I’m a posh twat sipping on a cup of tea. My friend Thom got the exact same model, from the exact same store, on the exact same network right before me and has experienced no issues though. So maybe it’s only on certain phones. Or maybe he’s just missing a pinky. Personally I don’t think Apple will be able to do much just by changing software. It certainly seems like a hardware issue. Despite all this it doesn’t bother me that much. I mean who uses there phone for phone calls now-a-days anyway? I’ve been on the phone for 9 minutes over the week I’ve got it and most of those calls where only to gloat. But joking aside, if your a heavy caller you’ll probably find this more of an issue than I have.

All things considered

This is a truly great phone. Reviewers are arseholes. We nitpick because it’s impossible to critique a perfect product and equally impossible to claim something to be perfect. If you’re a previous iPhone owner this will be a nice upgrade. The 4 isn’t what the 3GS was to the 3G. This is a whole new phone. And if you’re not an iPerson, now will be the perfect time to jump on the Apple ship.