I see a lot of people exploring wiki, especially TiddlyWiki, as a way to capture thoughts these days. There must be some fun and efficiency in it for so many folks to enjoy it. I’m tempted to experiment a bit with it. But I am worried I may be sucked in for another project.
Thoughts
Apparently, phones with foldable displays are all the rage among OEMs and tech media. I however can’t think of any practical usecase for an interface of this kind. When, how and for whom will this be useful?
In case you watched the “super wolf blood moon”, you also witnessed “the first known sighting of a meteorite impact” during eclipse.
During the eclipse, some people noticed a tiny flash, a brief yellow-white speck, popping up on the lunar surface during the online broadcasts.
I agree with Michael Tsai - Apple needs to get their act together on hardware front.
This is just not a good generation of Mac notebooks.
To everyone who serves RSS feeds for their blogs, subscribe to them in a feed reader of your choice. Then make an unbiased decision on whether you would like to stay subscribed to what you see. If not, fix your feed. Stick to the goal of RSS - update readers of your content.
I haven’t read a better inspiration to write down the thoughts than this quote from Michael Wade. Perfect!
Don’t just think it, write it. Staring at scribbles of ink can work all sorts of magic.
To Save the Sound of a Stradivarius, a Whole City Must Keep Quiet →
The museum (Museo del Violino in Cremona, Italy) is assisting with an ambitious recording project to preserve the sound of Stradivarius instruments for future generations.
Such an uplifting story.
I have been a 1Password user for quite some time now. But the recent switch of platforms has given me another chance to reconsider the options available. I hear a lot about LastPass, especially the digital contingency plan and the offerings do look promising. And cheaper too.
I had no idea iA Writer is already launched for Windows. This should potentially address my uneasiness with Markdown editors or lack thereof. I hope it is well made and is native to the platform.
After a brief holiday hiatus, Third-Person Voice is back with a new story.
Introducing Tikwadi, a town of fools; a town where the creatures that dwell are busy sucking at everything they do. Two such creatures ride a bus together to get a new adventures going.
Jack Baty is bang-on when he says this. I subconsciously ignore such posts.
I’ve read about quitting are 90% rationale and 10% about what’s next. I’d prefer to see that reversed. (…) Make it about starting something rather than about quitting. I think that would be better.
Switching to Windows
I have finally given up on the hope that Apple will fix their Macbook lineup and have decided to switch to Windows. It was a long time coming, and the decision wasn’t an easy one. But what Apple offers, especially in Indian market, isn’t worth the price. The lineup from its competitors doesn’t allow them and their users to justify their crazy costs. They need a cheaper, better alternative to compete. They needed to replace Air, not launch a new range. They have now failed to do it for 3 years. And I can wait no longer.
Will Apple’s devices be more durable? Sure. Does it justify to pay, for an entry-level Air, twice the cost of a fully loaded Dell? Absolutely not.
So I have got a Dell now. I am not really worried about the switch to Windows 10 — I do use it in office. I had also analysed my software usage, and except for Markdown writers, there’s nothing software-wise that I will miss. My primary need, other than writing, is coding and Microsoft has me covered with VS Code and WSL. Sure, I will miss Terminal, but I think I will manage without it.
I am, however, a bit worried about the out-of-box experience, given OEMs are known for screwing Microsoft up with their customisations. Not sure if there are any must-dos and must-haves on a new Windows device. I will look out for any input I can gather. Overall, I guess I would do fine.
Of course, I will hold my judgement till I use the device regularly and extensively. My current Macbook Pro has served me well. I wish Apple hadn’t forced me with their utter lack of inclination to improve their entry-level offerings. They won’t grow into developing markets unless they stop selling the same old story.
🗓️ The Weekly Digest [21/01]
🔗 Useful Wordpress Plugin by Tyler
🔗 Effects of Screens via Sameer
🔗 Ethical Hypocrisy by Leah
🔗 We aren’t brands by Cheri
🔗 Don’t follow, Subscribe by Colin
🔗 Importance of Habit by Max
🔗 Meeting opponents via Frank
I might have unintentionally polluted the timeline for a few with a flurry of “new” posts — it was a feed issue. I apologise for any trouble it might have caused. I do aim to get back to the routine of writing more, but not like this. I promise. I have reverted the experiment.
I am still not sure why would someone report the teaser of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as inappropriate. If anything, it’s the prompt YouTube throws that is inappropriate - what the hell am I supposed to do? What am I cancelling or confirming? 🤔
A thread on Google buying Fossil’s IP on wearables triggers a discussion around watch UX and the round face, gets a response from an ex-engineer on Microsoft Band’s team and finally comes out the love for the product that just didn’t sell well. Happens only on Hacker News.
When everything becomes a performance, nothing is truly real. Not even our lives. Is it so unacceptable that we simply be ourselves?
Cheri’s rant is justified. We should be, and behave like, people lest you lose value. Not brands. Not products.
Given that micro.blog was down most of the day today, I got a feel of how a timeline with just the original posts, no replies, would look like. And to be frank, I don’t think I like it that way. The timeline’s lively only with all the interactions in there 💬🙂
Smartphones are turning back into dumbphones. We’ve to fight back! To squeeze little extra battery out of phones, Android device vendors listed below (with their bad vendor score) cripple apps and make them useless.
Fights developers have to fight. Sigh!
Watching the sun set into the expanse of an ocean is a great time to ruminate — it’s therapeutic.
I am still in a vacation mood, enough that I may skip drafting the weekly digest this week. However, I look forward to the summaries from others to catch up on what I might have missed 😊
A cup of evening tea as the waves come gliding along the shore - the soothing sound, the serenity.
It is for reasons like this that I never keep my SmartTV connected to internet. It doesn’t matter which brand the TV is (I own a Sony), I just don’t trust these guys to be cognizant enough of the importance of the data — and importance of collecting less of it. Stay dumb.
Came across this wonderful, little app MorningPages. It looks like a simple, no bells and whistles personal journaling app. There’s no account creation, no server component. What you write stays, on your device - of course with an optional iCloud sync for cross device access.
“When you remove meaningless words, the power of your words goes up.” - Seth Godin
I know I should live by these words. But it is difficult - a “really” while I write and “actually” while I speak do poke their head often. I am now more aware of the aspect, though.