Excursions

There are two writers within me. One wants me to write as freely and as frequently as possible, blurting out everything that comes to my mind. The other wants me to weigh each word, think deeply, and post only when I have something meaningful to say. Every time they fight, which they do often, my writing stops. I am going through one such phase.

I have enjoyed writing at Scribbles recently – you can follow these posts through the RSS feed. The simplicity of the posting workflow has me hooked. The biggest draw for me is that I can easily begin a draft and expand it with more thoughts across multiple sittings. It’s a lot more frictionless than what I have found anywhere recently. The interface suits the kind of posts I am inclined to write these days - blogging regularly about life and writing.

I am sure the platform won’t work for all. There’s no support for theming. No automatic cross-posting. No markdown. Micro posts don’t sit well on the platform, either. For all that, there’s no better platform than Micro.blog. Scribbles, on the other hand, strips the blogging to the bare. To what matters: writing blog posts. And for that, the platform does enough.

So, keep an eye on Scribbles. It will launch soon to be available for sign-ups.

Your blessing in life is when you find the torture you’re comfortable with.

– Jerry Seinfeld

What a brilliant quote. And timely for me.

One thing I did well in my early Twitter days was contributing to and being part of an active #writer community. I found a few feeds at Bluesky that inspire me again.

Ages. After ages, I stayed awake late into the night. And still woke up early. Sure, the sleep cycle is screwed again.

I started watching Succession again. Nope. I am watching it for the first time. I could never get into the series earlier. No reason. This time I hope I do.

Just a few conversations in, and I am already seeing some newer ideas on BlueSky. Like feeds “responding” to me!? Hmm! May be I should spend time knowing this platform better. 🤔

Exactly a month ago, I decided to stop syndicating my posts to any social networks. What have I learnt in this month?

The interactions on my posts have significantly gone down. Every post had some replies earlier. No surprise, most were on Micro.blog. A few were on Mastodon. Both have naturally gone down to zero. I have received a few emails (and fewer comments through Commento). I responded to each of them, which is something I cannot say about the earlier replies I received on the timelines. My genuine lack of interest in checking my mentions and responding to them was why I had stopped syndication.

How about traffic (yuck!)? I have no clue. Though I have analytics enabled with Tinylytics, I don’t follow the numbers. I don’t know what the numbers were earlier and how they have been impacted. There is also a possibility that most follow my blog through RSS. Whatever the case, I don’t know, and I don’t have any interest in finding out.

The most noticeable impact has been on my writing – I have stopped writing for a timeline.

Earlier, I subconsciously filtered all my posts through the lens of how they would look on a timeline. Or to the folks who tend to reply to my posts frequently. Is this too long? Too short? Does this interest all? Or some? Or anyone at all? My mind was always crowded with such unnecessary doubts. I observed this behaviour first a couple of years ago.

Writing publicly, with the voice of your readers chirping at the back of your mind, is ineffective. You write for interaction – that’s futile. Most social media posts belong to this category. You are reined back by the voice — you write for someone else. The response you expect from them, your readers, provides you the lead. You write not what you like, you write what you think your reader likes.

I even mentioned people through their social media handles in my posts. Futile, I agree. But the whole experience felt unnecessarily limiting, and I lacked the control to not let it feel.

What does all of this mean for my no-syndication experiment? As of now, nothing has changed. I like this unshackled feeling while I write. As if no one’s watching and weighing up my every word.

How about taking my writing to the readers? I am yet to find an organic way to do that. Automatic and passive syndication is not that.

I don’t see even a single person replying to posts on Bluesky. Is this a sign of a healthy network? I am not talking about my posts either—even posts from well-known voices garner no responses. Everyone seems to be just syndicating their other posts here.

When you say a device is the best smartphone, you must be clear if it is Android or iPhone. We are way past when we can compare devices across platforms. One decides on the platform first and then chooses the smartphone they want.

If I don’t like iOS, doesn’t matter how good the iPhone is.

Ok seriously. How’s Bluesky different from Mastodon? And why should I spend time here? Is the social aspect of the network any different here? 🤔

A walk in the night! #stories

Yesterday, I was sitting with my iPad Mini on the sunny balcony, with my sister’s iPhone and my Galaxy S24 Ultra next to me. Barely able to read on my iPad, I picked up my phone and was reminded how I had fallen absolutely in love with this device. Especially the two aspects. The stunning screen. The monstrous battery life.

I don’t think I have seen a better screen than what this has. All reviews have called it out. But you must experience it to appreciate the brilliance of what Samsung has achieved. The text is crisp; the colours pop out. Plus, the lack of reflection is mindblowing. I don’t think I can go back to any other device now that doesn’t have the technical wizardry that Samsung has packaged here. It’s perfectly visible even in the harshest sunlight without losing clarity or colour.

I am surprised no one built such a screen earlier. This is much more important than the high refresh rate or crazy resolutions. Here’s a snapshot from the official product page.

The second one is also a no-brainer with its trade-off – the battery life. Since moving to smartphones in 2009 with the iPhone 3GS, I haven’t had any phone with a battery life longer than a day. But then I also stubbornly preferred phones with smaller dimensions. I never liked the likes of Notes and Plueses and Pros and Maxes. So, my decision to shift to a large phone this time was clouded by my fear of discomfort.

All my fears were washed away right on the second day when my phone wasn’t screaming at me to be plugged in. My last phone, the Galaxy S22, was the slickest of all the devices I have ever owned. But it was frustrating to put it to charging every evening. From that to now, when I am easily going through two full days without charging my phone, it is a drastic (and welcome) change. Even three days once. This might be a benefit that all large phones share. But with everything this device packs, it has to be the best amongst the best.

Even without the natural benefit of a larger screen to read and write better, I would always select a larger phone from now on just for the battery life it lends.

In addition, there are miscellaneous benefits of Samsung’s versions of Android phones for me. They have been nailing the physical design of the phones for the past few years. Without all the gloss, they look and feel premium in hand. Everyone who has held this device has commended the richness of its feel.

One UI feels slick, elevating the overall Android experience a notch higher. It’s inherently Google but distinctly Samsung at the same time. All the small touches they add across the platform are well thought through. The ones that I have found the most used are Modes and Routines. It helps set your phone for different phases of the day. I can customize all aspects, the most important being which apps I access during a particular mode. For example, in Life mode, I have set it so that I can’t use any apps from my work even if I wanted to. Neither do I get notifications from them. 

Samsung has woven a lot of such small additions into the platform. S Pen works nicely. The side Panel stays hidden, yet it is extremely useful. Dex is an absolute stunner. And the list goes on.

This post has gone on for much longer than I initially expected. And I haven’t even talked about the cameras. With Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung has indeed mastered the smartphone.

Maya narrates an annoying annectode involving iMessages.

By buying my mother a gift, I have now made it so that her contacts with iPhones, who all have her email saved, will – by default – send her messages that she cannot access on her phone, and they won’t know that they’re doing this when trying to text her. This seems terrible.

This is terrible. I recall I had gone through a similar frenzy when I had switched from my iPhone to Android. Getting back my messages from the clutches of iMessages was so painful. I had to go through this again when I bought my iMac and Apple decided I want messages with my email. It’s frustrating to see the limits Apple goes to to decide on its user’s behalf what’s best for them. I really resonate with this thought from Maya (emphasis mine).

If they’d just built their own thing in a separate app that needed both sides to explicitly opt-in to use in their communication, I wouldn’t be writing this!

Amen! Only saving grace is there are not many in my family or friends circle who use iPhone.

At the start of every year, I read posts from people where they set goals for themselves. I love the theme, but setting goals or resolutions doesn’t work well. I am not a stickler for goal tracking.

Recently, I read a couple of posts where people put out a list of their hopes for the year. Latest from mei. This inspired me to pen one for myself. I thought I might struggle to create such a list when I started writing this. It was surprisingly simple when I put them in buckets - self, health, relationships and interests. So, here we go!

1. Write more than I did in 2023 - target 365 posts
2. Read one book in a month - target 12 books
3. Publish one short story
4. Find a medium that helps me be social on the web
5. Find a place for music in my life again
6. Make a journal entry at least once a week
7. Keep stories on my website updated with one new photo every week
8. Go on a date with my wife once a month
9. Go on a play date with my daughter once a month
10. Family dinner with my wife and daughter once a month
11. Take one picture of my daughter and one of me & my wife every week
12. Meet my two friends circle once a month
13. Inspire interest in Curious Bee to create again
14. Find and connect with people whose ideas resonate with me
15. Improve physical fitness by walking 5 days a week
16. Improve mental fitness by meditating 5 days a week
17. Do Pranayama and Surya Namaskar at least 2 times a week
18. Take care of my face
19. Achieve better work-life balance, minimize life during work
20. Learn to cook roti
21. Visit a cafe alone once a month
22. Speak up my mind, even if it disappoints others
23. Learn to use the calendar to structure day and week
24. Learn to use my smartphone better for reading and writing

I accept it’s slightly late to publish such a list. But I have already been working on a few of these. Plus, it’s better late than never.

I haven’t posted anything since I last wondered “why I even write anymore in public”. This question still crowds my mind. But I read what other folks write, which, in turn, makes me want to do that. So, I am not going to stop writing on my blog anytime soon.

What do I write about? Well, about nothing and everything. That has been my mantra.

I usually do not have a set template for my posts. I start writing, and the thoughts pour themselves out. The only thing I have to do is sit down at my desk and start hammering on my keyboard.

Recently, I read some excellent posts on blogging versus social media. The first is Robb Knight talking about how the web is fantastic. This feeling resonated with my current state of mind.

Blogs and RSS never died. Some of us just took a little break from it while we all shitposted on Twitter for likes, retweets, and validation. While we wrote long, unfindable threads instead of blog posts. I’m as guilty of this as anyone.

It’s been some time now since I posted to any social network. 20 days to be exact. It’s freeing to not worry about how my posts look on different timelines or how people react to them. I write on and for my blog. I have also accepted that I won’t get any reaction on even my most thoughtful posts.

I have yet to find a frictionless way to respond to a post I read. I want that.

The second post is Chris McLeod vouching for the resurgence of blogging.

[S]tumbling into such a trove of active blogs has enthused me about blogging as a medium again. It’s sparked a thought that through a combination of increased blogging activity, declining platforms, and increasing adoption of open standards to glue everything together, that maybe — just maybe — we can swing the web back towards the blog again.

I share Chris’s optimism – posting micro thoughts on social media led to the discovery of many good bloggers. I maintain my apprehensions about micro posts on the blog – I cannot write and post them. But I am okay with others doing it.

Anyway, I continue to read blogs through RSS. I continue to write on my blog. All’s well.

A long time ago, I had bookmarked an article on the story behind the new search engine Neeva. I came across that article again today only to find that the search engine is no longer publically available. Is there any point of reading it anymore? Yet I did.

Reading the article now made me realize most often, the reasons that the makers of a technology give for its existence and their plans for its long term survival is all just hubris.

I received yesterday the Galaxy 24 Ultra that I had preordered. A quick opinion after a day’s use – I am mighty impressed. Stunning display. Monstrous battery. And a brilliant camera – I have taken a few shots in low light and portraits, and boy, am I impressed. This is the basic feature set that matters to me.

With a place now for my snaps on my website, I am going to have so much fun taking pictures with this set of cameras.

Coming from a smaller screen size of Galaxy S22, I was very worried that I might not like the massive size jump. But I think I am going to love this size. It has a lot of space for all the elements on the screen. One that also renders a lot of crisp words – I am now on the lookout for more to read.

The overall experience feels buttery smooth. The feel in the hand is light, yet premium. Plus, did I say that I love the larger screen on the phone!?

Shade without the sun! #stories

Love the games shadow plays #stories

Water and sun! #stories

I wish every blog post had a footer with easy ways to respond, preferably via email. The early days of blogging were simple, with a plain comments section. All one had to do was add details about themselves and comment. Spam ruined the simplicity, and accounts were required to be created just to add a comment.

I yearn for those simpler days. I recently added a way to comment below my posts, powered by Commento. The simplicity of this system does have a price associated with it. But I want to keep that option around since I stopped syndicating posts to the social timelines.

Plus, the readers can always respond via email. I am relieved to see responses received through both of these mediums.

At the same time, it pains me when I open a blog post looking for a way to respond, and I can’t find any. Even if there is one, it is generally via some social network, which I am not keen to participate in. Please have a link to respond via email. Someday, you will receive a thoughtful response that will warm your heart.

Interactions are beautiful. Try them!

When I upgraded to Galaxy S22 a couple of years back, I wrote this about my initial impressions about the device.

I love the design of this phone, plus the feel in the hand. It’s compact yet powerful. I also like what Samsung has done with Android. This is possibly the best compact smartphone out there. Not just with Android.

After a couple of years with a compact phone, I have decided to jump to the other extreme. I have preordered the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I want to use a monstrous phone now. Though the compact phone was brilliant for general use, two issues have troubled me a lot.

The first is battery life. It barely lasted a whole day for me. If I use it heavily, I would need to juice it up towards the evening. With a bigger phone comes a bigger battery. I require a phone that lasts at least a day now.

The second is the smaller screen wasn’t the best to read and write. Especially later. I felt constrained and generally preferred to read on my iPad and write on my iMac or laptop. I hope both changes with a larger screen.

I knew back then that Galaxy Ultra was the device I wanted next. I will have one next week.

I customized the last bit of my blog theme that I hadn’t yet. RSS and JSON feeds. Could I have broken something somewhere? I am sure I could have. Do I know what that is? No clue. So I have my fingers crossed – if there’s anything that’s broken, I will find out soon or hopefully hear about it.

Friday evening began promising and then just fizzled out. I had planned many tasks but couldn’t get through to the majority. One big reason is that I am shit tired. My time at work is hectic. Worse, it is chaotic. So, each day leaves me mentally exhausted. Today was no different.

Not that I work long hours. Just the daily grind of finding clarity amidst the chaos, finding the right answers and the way forward sips the energy and drive from the non-office hours. Friday’s are worse because there’s the unspoken promise of recuperating through the imminent weekend. So, I simply give up on all the plans and sway along with my wandering mind.

Today was no different, as I signed the day off. With the hope that tomorrow, I regain the drive and cover for the time I lost.