2 more days and then the outdoor mask mandate will be lifted in Poland! 🥳
I was going to share my podcasts (and ask people to do the same) and then I realised that most are now abandoned, a good number I NEVER listen to any more, a few are ones I listen to occasionally, and only a handful are ones I listen to religiously. I think I need to review my podcasts properly and while I’d also like to clear out the departed, I’m not quite ready yet. Anyway, I’d love to see a screenshot of the podcasts you listen to.
Little Digital garden update. I moved my github repo into my obsidian iCloud folder. SO now I can update my obsidian notes, they are available to go live (just add a title to publish) and I can use the mobile app as well. Not exactly the perfect solution, but it’s better than before.
So my daughter has discovered glitter… in unrelated news, my desk is covered in glitter.
So I suffered from some side effects of the vaccine yesterday (temperature, headaches, weakness, aching joints). by the afternoon, I just felt a bit weak in my legs. Having had a very mild case of COVID my temperature and headaches were probably worse from the vaccine (though I know that is abnormal). However, the muscle aches I had from COVID were TERRIBLE and the whole thing lasted for a couple of weeks. Conclusion, vaccine is better.
When simple is more complicate.
As I was thinking about how to manage publishing obsidian notes to my digital garden, I was saying I wanted a “simpler” solution. That was partially true. Really, I wanted a simpler solution for me, the user, even if it meant a more complicated backend. The danger is that complicated workflows are easier to break.
This is true of other areas of life too. We try to make things “simpler” for ourselves but under the surface there is a sea of (hopefully) hidden complexity.
The danger, is those dependencies will fail and our system comes crashing down or grinds to a halt like a shipping cannel clogged by a boat. Simple solutions may end up needing more maintenance than the “complicated” option.
So perhaps a simple drag and drop isn’t the worst thing in the world after all.
Deploying a test Jekyll site. I blame @philbowell .
“The deeper the pain, the fewer words you use.”
- Rick Warren.
Just had my first covid shot. Unfortunately we don’t get cool stickers here…just plasters.
Registered to get vaccinated this morning. My slot is on Monday and just down the road. The rollout took a while but I’m amazed that I could get in so soon. It helps that I have no issue with the astra-Zeneca.
Today’s obsidian experiment: adding a sermon sketchnote (and the technique for producing ideas sketchnote) to Obsidian.
A technique for producing ideas sketchnote summary
A quick little book summary sketchnote of a quick little book: a technique for producing ideas. Main action takeaways are
- dig deep in your initial research.
- be curious and collect information about general interests as well as the problems you are investigating.
- when you are stuck, do something emotionally stimulating.
My existing website hosting will run out in July. I could renew…or I could use the cash for Obsidian Publish…
My many year old Beat Xes now show a light while charging but can’t turn on. Apparently it’s a common problem and probably related to a lose wire. I’m currently completely headphoneless (except some giant over-ear headphones for work calls)… I’m trying to appreciate the thinking time and quite, but I really like podcasts and audiobooks.
No one:… Me: Maybe I should make a website/digital garden on Notion.
The value is in the summary (or is it)
There are some business books where you get all the value from the one paragraph summary or even just the title. I suspect Cal Newports latest might be another example. I’ve heard him on a couple of podcasts discussing it and I can buy into his basic idea.
- Avoid open loop communications tools that anyone can contact you at any time for anything.
- Promote context specific tools which you work on asynchronously.
It’s basically trying to avoid the “So when shall we have a meeting” chain of messages where it takes four messages to get the ball moving and instead use something like calendly which helps close discussions faster.
My team has made this shift in a couple of areas (moving away from our real-time chat and too google docs/trello/figma). We still occasionally ping each other over real deadlines, but it just makes more sense to not get inundated with pings all the time.
Of course, there are some topics where the lesson is clear from the title, but that doesn’t make it easy. Ego is the enemy for example. Sometimes the value of the book is not the information, but the repeated exposure to the message.
It’s a very Christian idea I’ll admit. That we can get the idea instantly and see a transformation (justification) but still regress and require a ongoing change to truly inhibit an idea (sanctification). Perhaps my own faith background and its emphasis on reading the scripture explains my openness to such books.
Well, I didn’t expect that ending when I sat down to write.
The experience of upgrading the software on my Apple Watch series 3 is so bad and the main thing that makes me consider upgrading my hardware!
🥳 I have the obsidian mobile app! (I’m the last group on the beta. Only a few weeks till it’s public).
I don't care about iPad only anymore.
I’m really happy with not trying to force my iPad to be my main computer but just use it for what I like doing on it (reading, drawing, some web browsing, Listening to audiobooks while cooking, facetime calls with family back home) and use my Macbook Air for what I like doing on that (writing, editing videos, day job… which is writing, trello, managing and spreadsheets…oh so many spreadsheets.)
If Apple updates iPadOS to make the iPad better for day job work, I might reconsider but I’m not sure why I would now.
I like having a causal device and work devices or having a book/notes open on my iPad with a writing space on my Macbook.
When I was an “iPad only*" person I valued the iPad’s prompting of monotasking. While that hasn’t changed, I’ve since found that the MacBook can be equally low-distracting as it can be seen as a work device (when set up with fewer notifications, not installing certain apps, limits on internet access etc).
In fact, freeing the iPad to be an iPad has allowed me to also make it less distracting. Now I don’t have to use it for work, I can block the internet, uninstall anything that gives a notification related to work, and make it a better consumption and creation device.
If Apple adds more pro apps to the iPad or improves support for multitasking, external windows, split audio etc then fine. I’m sure some blogger will write about how the iPad truly can be anyone’s only computer just as they have for the last X years. (While the verge will also point out how it can’t be your only computer because it doesn’t work well with their CMS).
But whatever happens, I doubt it will affect my workflow much.
(There is a chance that future Chris is really mad at how stupid past Chris is writing this… I guess we’ll see!)
*terms and conditions apply. Definitions of iPad only may vary and usually don’t include day jobs.
