Can we recover a physical literature? Can we recover a literature that is not merely read but felt? The library museum gestures at just such a possibility.
Source: Ode to the Library Museum →
At a time, visiting Techmeme homepage was a respite from the typical downer news on the front page of mainstream news portals. They debated the political & legal mess we are in and advertised false promises. Instead, I would be excited by all the updates from the tech space – new hardware devices, new software updates.
Sigh! That time is no more. When I visited the Techmeme homepage, it was full of just what I was running from earlier – legal and political mess. And advertisements for stuff that isn’t available yet, something we call rumours.
While I was writing the post yesterday about my dependence on smartphones, I realized how misunderstood the term “dependence” has become in the context of this device. Most articles I read about this assume it is the indulgence or addiction one talks about. I was talking about neither of these – I depend on this device to carry out many of the tasks I regularly do. Unfortunately, this factor gets lost in all the hullabaloo about the addictive nature of smartphones.
With new lights, this spot that I have walked across so many times looked different. I liked the shades of yellow amidst the shadows. I wish I could capture it better.
I wonder if no one on Micro.blog creates any type of long-form posts using the web editor. I can’t be the only one who finds this interface too limiting. It is suitable only for short updates. The goal of keeping things simple shouldn’t hamper the experience of writing posts. Whenever I attempt to write a long post with this interface, I instantly look for other options. Sure, I don’t switch. But I would love to avoid having this feeling.
Saving and building on a draft is unnecessarily complicated. Keyboard shortcuts do not work consistently – undo/redo often messes up the post. This is exasperated by the already small editor window. In addition, the experience is not consistent between writing a new post and editing a draft.
This isn’t the first time I have complained about the writing interface. I wrote this almost a year ago (and that wasn’t the first either).
The editing experience remains poor for long-form posts – both from a desktop and a mobile device. It’s a great system with a promising base, but still has a long way to go before I can use it for the longer form content.
Neither am I the only one with the request. The editor is the most essential part of any blogging system. I hope Manton gets time to work on fixing it, an ask that’s pending for too long now. Without this, the platform isn’t fit for the blogging needs of full-length posts.
Go to bed when you are tired, and allow your body to wake you in the morning (no alarm clock allowed).
Source: Can You Catch Up on Lost Sleep? →
I agree with this “no alarm clock” part wholeheartedly. When you wake up consistently, without an alarm, you are sleeping well.
Amit Gawande Takes "The Colbert Questionert"
According to a source, these questions “cover the full spectrum of human experience”. I don’t care if they do. I answer.
- Best sandwich? Cheese Grilled
- What’s one thing you own that you really should throw out? Boxes that old gadgets came packaged in.
- What is the scariest animal? Spider
- Apples or oranges? Oranges, any day. But I can’t get them every day.
- Have you ever asked someone for their autograph? Yes. Brett Lee the famous Australian Cricketer. Indian players are hard to walk up to. I also want an autograph from many who make me feel starstruck.
- What do you think happens when we die? Somewhere, a new chapter begins again.
- Favorite action movie? The Bourne Identity
- Favorite smell? Earthy smell after a fresh summer rain.
- Least favourite smell? Spoiled eggs.
- Exercise: worth it? Absolutely. But I don’t regularly.
- Flat or sparkling? What’s sparkling?
- Most used app on your phone? Photos
- You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it? Abhi Mujh Me Kahin by Sonu Nigam
- What number am I thinking of? 14 (this question I am answering)
- Describe the rest of your life in 5 words. Aren’t those too many words?
(h/t Pete Moore)
Against all odds, Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman is a very good show. But why does it look like that? You know what I’m talking about—the so-called “Netflix Look.”
I wish there was a technology that could capture the smell you are experiencing, just the way you can the colours with a camera. Some smells give such bliss and are so unique (at least to my nose) that I wish I could capture and share the joy with my dear ones.
In 1967, the Jornal do Brasil asked Clarice Lispector to write a Saturday newspaper column on any topic she wished. For nearly seven years, she wrote weekly, covering a wide range of topics—humans and animals, bad dinner parties, the daily activities of her two sons—but the subject matter was often besides the point.
Source: The Discovery of the World →
For cord-cutters, leaving pricey cable packages behind in favor of streaming is a win for the wallet. Because we’re able to sign up for monthly plans, it’s easy to jump into a streaming service and jump out when prices increase or content dries up.
Source: This Clever Trick Can Save You Money on Streaming →
Though this is obvious, I have no idea why I still don’t do it enough.
I have released a new version of the Paper theme today. It’s a minor upgrade that allows you to set a custom favicon through the theme settings. Of course, it is optional. If you do not configure it, the default Micro.blog favicon will be used. The upgrade is available now.
Here’s a word cloud of my posts that I created in 2008 – I had been blogging for around 2 years then. I find it funny that even then I was writing the most about “blog”. Apparently, meta-commentary never goes out of fashion.
I understand why Google is doing the #GetTheMessage campaign. I also understand why it would hardly affect Apple. It’s a loss for users all over the world though. Is Apple breaking my texting experience? No, hardly anyone uses SMS anymore. Would I love a standard? Absolutely.
I stumbled across the first iterations of my blog that I had self-hosted with WordPress. I had left my creativity free allowing me to “design” the logo and favicon and headers and everything. What’s worse, I did it all in Powerpoint. Oh, those were the crazy effortless days.
I loved the trailer for Vengeance, looks so much fun. But I don’t think it’s going to be in theaters around here anytime soon. So all I can do is wait for it to become available on some OTT platform.
Go outside as often as you can, ideally without devices. Work in the yard, or just walk around. Pause occasionally to take a few deep breaths. When you come back in, do not head straight for your device; instead, make a cup of tea, straighten your shelves, or pray.
Source: Another friendly reminder →
My daughter wanted to record a new video for her channel this week. She’d watched her old videos and felt she needed more. She had a few ideas in mind but wanted to tell her friends first what she had been up to. So, that’s what we recorded - a new video is out today.
I finished reading A View to Die For by Cheri Baker 📚
I really enjoyed this one. Paul Gumbs, the central character, comes out as a natural hero. The mystery is breezy and never slows down unnecessarily. I am involved in Butterfly Island and the characters living there enough that I’ll no doubt pick up the next one in the series.
It was relaxing to watch the calm river stream as I sat next to a shack. A cup of steaming hot tea in my hand.
A place to discover books in new and exciting ways. Read the first page without judging the cover. If you’re hooked, click the reveal button to find out more.
Source: Recommend Me a Book →
I am not a horror movie fan. I have seen a few over the years but do not enjoy them. With age, my patience with them has further gone down. I do not watch this genre at all anymore. Or so I thought.
I was recently reminded of my dislike as I read this list from the editors at Rotten Tomatoes. I realized that there are few movies in this genre that I have enjoyed. Or I do still enjoy. The likes of The Mist or Jaws Or The Shining. Or the number one on the list, Psycho. Or the one I thoroughly enjoyed recently - Get Out.
Basically, I don’t mind psychological thrillers. Or ones with creatures. But I am done watching haunted houses and ghosts and unnecessary gore.
That said, I do enjoy reading the plots of the movies, predominantly from the horror genre, that I have no interest in. I have read so many movie plots on Wikipedia. I was anyway not going to watch the movie. By reading the plot, I at least know that the one twist the movie was sold on is shit.
I watched The Gray Man today – mindless action is not entertainment to me. I had fun when it was in superhero films. It doesn’t here.
I find it surprising that iTunes remain the only good store to buy digital music even today. There has to be some reason that all the big players have exited the space and have gone the streaming route. Is it the competition? Or the overall logistics of selling digital music?
I watched The Batman today – I am glad that after a few terrible few showings, we have a good setting again. It’s not a perfect movie – it’s too long and too thin. But I loved the way it’s shot, it does “look and sound brilliant”. The first half is particularly gripping. I didn’t like the Riddler though, his eccentricities felt forced.
That said though, the first thing this movie made me do was rewatch a few sequences from The Dark Knight series. The heights that Nolan took this superhero to is hard to scale.