Sunday Drop Biscuits π
Sunday Drop Biscuits The past few months I've been trying to set apart the sabbath. It's hard for my little kids to look forward to the day of rest so [...]
trv.rs
Posts
NetNewsWire π
I've been using Reeder⦠for a long time. Maybe the longest running app on my phone⦠records say 2009. I admire Silvio so much, and Mela is now one of [...]
How do I go back to the library? π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I'm tired of my "open a tab to the 'front page of the internet'" behavior [...]
Can't Force Wisdom π
In Proverbs 4:4Β a father implores with his son to take hold of wisdom. The past three chapters assert that both parents have been providing a banquet [...]
But Our Devenv Is In Another Repo π
For the past year of software consulting I've been using nix to define the development environments. I had been using flakes, but recently I've been u [...]
Quick Look: Obsidian Notebook Navigator π
In my last post on Obsidian I talked about the problem of getting an inbox to obsidian on mobile. What I haven't covered is processing and writing tho [...]
My OBS Setup π
Since I'm too cheap to pay for loom.com (which is a great product!) I have been using OBS to record videos to throw into Slack or YouTube for friends. [...]
Using Obsidian as an Inbox π
It's been about a year since I opened Drafts. I've always been a huge of Drafts. It is the best Apple ecosystem note taking tool. However I have two p [...]
Ferris Sweep Review π
I've been using a Crab Broom (Ferris Sweep) 3x5_2 keyboard for almost a year as my daily driver. I really like the exaggerated finger arch and dropped [...]
Rebuilding My Blog In Elixir π
A recent bout of a hacking cough gave me plenty of late nights to hackβ¦ and as a result this blog has a new architecture. π The Problems I had accumu [...]
Rewrote in Tableau π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. Last night amidst a hacking-cough hackathonβ¦Β I pushed a version of this b [...]
Jujutsu Megamerges for Fun and Profit π
The absorb command will do a lot of this for you by identifying which downstream mutable commit each line or hunk of your current commit belong in and [...]
Committing with the last command as the description π
I realized recently that I really often end up committing a simple jj desc to reflect that I've just run a linter, updated a package⦠things like: bun [...]
AI in the City of God π
Theological evaluation begins and ends with the sovereignty of God. A technology is more than a tool, more than a technique, more than a telos. It is [...]
2025 π
This was a pretty wild year all 'round. Birth of a child, caught in a layoff, freelancing, working in a startup. Spiritual Life I've been keeping trac [...]
Finding Gene Cernan's Missing Moon Camera π
When youβre going to the moon, youβre assigned a camera with a 60mm lens that gets strapped to your chest to document samples, experiments, and the lu [...]
Hollyland Lark M2S Lavalier π
I've been using a small USB-C lavalier microphone to enhance my daily audio calls. I'm a fan. Since I deleted my microphone and light off my desk to j [...]
Updated my blogroll π
My friend Scott was asking me for some healthy links to help replace doomscrolling, and I've been sending him a curated list of joyful RSS-friendly li [...]
Jujutsu's Whole Deal π
Part of jj's whole deal is that it collapses many Git concepts (stashes, staging, fixups, in-progress rebases, conflicts) into a single unified model [...]
Code is only half the System π
Chris's talk has been out there for quite a bit, but I'm clearing out my Instapaper and rediscovered it. He argues that our rigor and formal methods m [...]
Be There When They Look Up π
I love listening to people talk passionately about their life's work, and I had such a treat listening to Tyler Cowen's interview with David Robertson [...]
Sketchnotes: Sloss Tech 2025 π
I just finished up two days of Sloss Tech, mostly attending the Developer and Engineer track at the McWane Center. The BASE crew did a fantastic job f [...]
Achievement Unlocked π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. While listening to Derek Sivers on Focused I was struck by two things: ho [...]
Hearing is Becoming π
Whose voice speaks to you the most? It should be the people closest to us, the ones we say we love the most. But it's not. Historically the voices tha [...]
Looking For New Opportunities π
I've been affected by a layoff at my previous employer, and I'm looking for new opportunities. I'm still processing the suddent deletion of half my br [...]
Wrestling with Jujutsu π
I've been using git for about fifteen years. It's ingrained in my muscle memory. Why would I try anything else? Jujutsu is a new VCS built on-top of g [...]
Jumping to Projects in Tmux π
It's nice to quickly set up your workspace. When coding, I am using sesh for this in tmux. Years ago, I worked in advertising. In those days, it was c [...]
Reorganizing My Nix Dotfiles π
I rewrote my dotfiles config again! π€· I had been feeling some friction: my folder/file organization smelled bad. There was a bunch of ../.././configβ¦ [...]
The Lestrade Effect π
Just as Sherlock concludes his insightful first analysis of the crime scene, the hapless Inspector Lestrade comes puffing up, right on schedule, but t [...]
Portable Standing Desk π
I've wanted to use my keyboards outside for a little bit. The seed of the idea was struggling to work with my mobile office in a "workspace" at an air [...]
Formwork and Minimum Viable Artifact π
The permanent foundations for a bridge are molded by impermanent forms. Plywood and other flexible formwork creates shapes in which the concrete harde [...]
Raycast Focus π
Last month Jesse texted me: Jesse Have you tried Raycast Focus yet? Pretty neat. Me I have not yet Sheesh That's my headspace idea, only maybe better [...]
Boox Palma Review π
I wanted a calm device to reduce my screentime. A "calm device" for me means minimal notifications, no hyper stimulant applications, and even no brows [...]
Automatic Webmentions π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. Thanks to Matt's post, I think I've finally got webmentions automated, wh [...]
Beware and Be Encouraged π
While researching a trip, I came across a devious strategy: Thieves sometimes put up a sign in english that reads "Beware of Pickpockets," then they w [...]
Setting Up Obsidian Tasks as a Things.app User π
For the past month, and through the last quarterly review and planning of 2025, I've been using Obsidian Tasks instead of my trusty Things.app, and I [...]
Aposiopesis Aggression π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. Recently someone at work said "people around here use the ellipsis a lot. [...]
Recently Reading π
Night Driving by Chad Bird Chad reflects on his own journey through sin and exile, how he previously upheld a standard of perfection through choosy re [...]
2024 π
The theme going into 2024 was "Own Up." In 2023 "Wake Up" was part of revealing some areas that needed improving, and Own Up represented taking owners [...]
Why I'm Changing My Task Manager π
Like a favorite jacket that no longer fits just right, I've realized that my current task management system no longer serves me well. A personal syste [...]
Merging my Creativity System and Blog π
I have been stuck forβ¦Β years? I want to have a single git repository that's both where I think and emits content out to this blog. @kepano demoed his [...]
Apple Intelligence's Advertising π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. People keep bashing the Apple Intelligence ads⦠for somewhat good reason. [...]
Memex Limbo π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I've been kinda stuck. I can see the final-state: a single git repository [...]
Web Native Highlighting π
TIL you can link directly to any string text on a webpage. I guess I saw Andy Mutaschak doing this in his Latticework demo, but I am pleased to see it [...]
Manifesting a Clever Phone π
I wish that there was an 5G, e-ink device, USB-C charging, decent battery life, and decent calling/ 5G hotspot. Well 2022-Evan, looks like you have yo [...]
Making my Nvim Feel More Like Helix with Mini.nvim π
I've been rewriting my nvim config to align with the features I am enjoying in Helix: simple TS-aware movements and uniform LSP-actions. I haven't mes [...]
Take Screenshots of Your Work π
Have a weekly prompt to take screenshots of your work. Most of the digital record of my career is already gone. I'm old enough that the first things I [...]
CSS :has and Focus Outline π
Ever faced the "should I make this whole card an <a> just because the focus or hover makes more sense?" Josh Comeau demos a cool technique using :has [...]
Latticework and Markdown Bible π
I'm late to this, but just look!! Latticeworkβs main goal, then, is to enable fluid movement between these foraging and sensemaking stances. This l [...]
Using Helix as a Vim User π
I've been playing with Helix for a month or so, and honestly I've struggled to explain why. After giving a scatter-brained demo to my friend, he respo [...]
Positions on Generative AI π
I've been writing unpublished essays about AI since Dall-E was announced. My opinions have slowly congealed to the following points. We shall see how [...]
iPhone Continuity Camera for Remote Meetingsβ¦ ππ π
I've already spent nearly a grand on an incredible camera and speaker system that I always have with me⦠why not use it for the calls that dominate mo [...]
Flirting With Helix π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. My friend Tom has praised Kakoune for years and always threatened leaving [...]
πβπβπ«π°π€ π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. Searching for facts on the internet is a bit like foraging for mushrooms. [...]
Tag Refactor Complete π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I spent some time on calls today going through and refactoring all the ta [...]
You Should Use: Soulver π
I've been aware of Soulver for years but I finally purchased it recently. It's wonderful. The core is a notepad that automatically does a summation of [...]
Refactoring Tags... π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I'm thinking about refactoring all my tags on blog. I've got some that ar [...]
Trending Topic Trash π
The idea of a hashtag and "trending topics" has done more to foster the cultural snowplow1 than anything else. For nearly every topic that matters, we [...]
Stop perfecting your config π
I suggest following ThePrimeagenβs advice on approaching your configuration. He recommends revisiting your configuration only once every couple of mon [...]
Outageβ¦ π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. Last night my friend Joschua alerted me that my website was giving a 522 [...]
Confidence and the Obsidian Graph π
For years I have embraced a simply taxonomy of named and unnamed notes. Named notes a strong ideas or strong opinions, unnamed notes are almost margin [...]
Home-Cooked Software and Barefoot Developers π
The emerging golden age of home-cooked software, barefoot developers, and why the local-first community should help build it. If you like the things I [...]
iOS Homescreen 2024.2 π
I started experimenting again after my last post. This has been stable for six months. The goal is always to use the phone less. Here's some new adapt [...]
Connected Bible Study in Obsidian π
I've been using a copy of the Bible in Markdown in Obsidian for over three years as my primary digital Bible. It's been wonderful. I can read along th [...]
Shopping for an Ergonomic Keyboard π
An ergonomic keyboard with programmable layout and neutral wrist posture can help some RSI symptoms. Already read my article on mechanical keyboards a [...]
If We Hung Outβ¦ π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. If we hung out for a day, I'd⦠probably have my journal out in front of m [...]
Discouraging AI Agents with darkvisitors.com π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. The robots.txt for evantravers.com is now generated on site build from da [...]
Walking Towards the Fridge π
Why does a child ask his parent for a snack? Because he knows the parent has the power to grant that request. He will even move towards the fridge as [...]
Calculus Made Easy π
The fools who write the textbooks of advanced mathematics β and they are mostly clever fools β seldom take the trouble to show you how easy the easy c [...]
Not Feeling SASS-y Anymore π
After reading Modern CSS Patterns in Campfire, I was inspired to refactor the style sheet for this blog. I've been using SASS for every CSS-related pr [...]
Muscular imagination π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. The Culture is a spacefaring, freeΒwheeling admixture of anarchism and s [...]
UX Research System in Confluence π
Some time ago I ran across Tomer Sharon's post about Democratizing UX (Medium.com). Tomer details a workflow that extricates the essential UX Insights [...]
Digital Homesteading π
I grew up around farms and farmers. Cattle and chickens, the smell of old things slowly becoming food for new things, grizzled men plucking at their c [...]
Seth Godin Coaching Tim Ferriss π
I really loved this episode. Like Tim I struggle with being verbose and I felt that Seth touched a nerve when he expressed it as a fear of being misu [...]
Alternatives to the Corne-ish Zen π
I've gotten a lot of emails from those of you who saw my post on the Corne-ish Zen and want one for themselves. Sadly the group buys for the Zen are c [...]
Recently: Obsidian π
I'm still using Obsidian. For a while it was the only icon on my iOS dock. Bible Study I use a downloaded and modified markdown bible as my main stud [...]
The Sound of Silence π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. My friend GrΓ©goire posted a thoughtful piece reflecting on the rarity of [...]
On Augmented Reality π
Half a decade ago I tried on a first generation AR headset, an early Hololens prototype. A low-resolution screen (the size of a deck of cards at arms [...]
Accessing devdocs.io from Hyper Hotkey π
If you've ever sat in a crowded Starbucks, waiting for the burdened wifi to finally deliver the MDN flex container docs, raise your hand. π€ For years [...]
Git Spelunking to Avoid Linkrot π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I have been very inconsistent with using github's permalinks in my blog p [...]
Configuring Yabai for Focus π
I've been aware of Yabai for a long timeβ¦Β but every time I gave it a whirl I was immediately greeted with an unusable spew of tiny windows. Frustrated [...]
One Must Imagine Sisyphus Overwhelmed π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. "What's going on?" My wife asked me last night. "I'm not sure" I replied. [...]
Switching to nix-darwin and Flakes π
Since my last post about using Nix to configure my dotfiles, I've since moved to using it for everything.1 (Sort of.) In my pursuit of treating my com [...]
we've found it folks: mcmansion heaven π
It is rare to find a house that has everything. A house that wills itself into Postmodernism yet remains unable to let go of the kookiest moments of t [...]
Digital Prayer Journal using Contacts π
This is another one of those systems that has grown with me over the years. Years ago, I began simply keeping a list of prayer requests in Reminders.a [...]
Searching Amazon for A Specific Screw π
You can use Amazon's photo search app together with a ruler or penny to find precisely sized objects that are otherwise hard to describe. In 2018 Amaz [...]
Quarterly Projects π
A friend wroteβ¦ Joschua Unrelated: Iβd love to read about your Things project setup at some point! Looks like they are more time-bound 12WY-ish areas. [...]
iOS Homescreen 2024 π
The homescreen I described last time has stayed pretty relevant for a long time, but the most recent iOS update added some new features and so it has [...]
Setting Up Nix Dev Environment for Middleman and Ruby π
Wanna know why I've stopped working on Advent of Code on Day 8? This problem right here! π€¦ So when I initially switched to Nix for dotfiles and setup [...]
2023 π
This year's theme was set as Wake Up, intending to take action, not sleep on things. It was a good guide to begin the year, and providentially took on [...]
Moving My Dotfiles to Nix π
I've been experimenting with Nix. I have a PC that is way more powerful than my older Macbook. While experimenting with Ubuntu on WSL, and porting my [...]
A weekly task list with the Alastair Method π
I had never encountered the Alastair system, but I think this could work very well for me and be the secret to a weekly/monthly collection actually wo [...]
Rituals Circa 2023 π
I have a lot of checklists and systems. Definitely too much. My friend Errin asked if he could steal the templates, so some quick thoughts. Rituals he [...]
ZMK Added the Apple Globe Key π
I recently noticed that ZMK added the "globe" key from the Apple ecosystem to their key codes. I threw it on my Corne-ish Zen and now I have access to [...]
A blog post is a very long and complex search query to find fascinating people and make them route interesting stuff to your inbox π
The title says it all. The essay says more⦠and rings true with my experience. I had written an essay about Ivan Illich and systems thinking, a topic [...]
Opportunity Solution Trees π
An expert Mental Model unpacking how an experienced Product Manager connects Solutions to Outcomes and prioritizes Experiments. The tree broadens the [...]
Ripples Across the Web π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. A fun sequence of events⦠I saw a novel question on my For You page, sear [...]
Achievement π : Mentioned in Whitepaper π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I love getting emails from y'all⦠but last month I got a unique one: I am [...]
Converting H1 to Inline Notes for Evergreen Notes π
My friend Joschua wrote recently about the virtues of Inline Titles in note-making. I've been solidly on the "Title & H1" camp for a while, but I've a [...]
Bug Hunting π
Talking with some new colleagues at work, this old programming war story from a decade ago came to mind. My memory on all the details is fuzzy1Β but he [...]
Export Things to Todoist π
π₯ Download Things β‘οΈ Todoist.shortcut Updates 2024-12 I've updated the shortcut after Things' lovely API update. 2026-06 Lucas emailed me to tell me [...]
The Mystery of the Bloomfield Bridge π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I have never been so fascinated by a bridge in my life. Tyler's enthusias [...]
You Should Use: Excalidraw π
Excalidraw is a free whiteboarding app I use constantly. Its expressive but simple tooling focuses on collaboration and sense-making instead of obsess [...]
Visualizing Bookworm π
Mix.install([ {:req, "~> 0.3.0"}, {:floki, "~> 0.34.0"}, {:kino_explorer, "~> 0.1.4"}, {:libgraph, "~> 0.16.0"} ]) π€ Why? Bookworm is o [...]
Sketchnoting Sermons π
I've experimented with sketchnotes on and off since 2016. I would attempt drawing some notes, be frustrated, and forget about it for months. In each e [...]
Last Mile Legalism π
Engineers have been frustrated for centuries by the Last Mile problem. No matter how careful the construction of your infrastructure (whether it is an [...]
Hardstuck π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I've been hardstuck on a bunch of essays for months. In no particular ord [...]
Recently Reading π
Here's a few titles that have read over the past six months. Winter World by A. G. Riddle, recommended by Josh Pigford. An ecological first contact th [...]
What Is ChatGPT Doing β¦ and Why Does It Work? π
this isnβt the right conclusion to draw. Computationally irreducible processes are still computationally irreducible, and are still fundamentally hard [...]
The New Thing Is Not New π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I opened Threads for about ten seconds, realized that it was the addictiv [...]
The New Thing π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I've been a serial early adopter. Traditionally a new product drops and I [...]
16 Years Working On The Web π
I quietly passed 16 years of working on web sites and web applications this year. The first half of my career was focused on small business e-commerce [...]
The Grug Brained Developer π
In the grand tradition of Code Monkey and Up Goer Five this simple source of wisdom is the thing that has made me laugh the hardest⦠while agreeing vi [...]
He Who Grasps the Heel π
Rebekah is expecting and hurting. The violent struggle within her is so surprising she describes it as wrestling. When the twins are born the younger [...]
Production design of βTrue Detectiveβ π
An architect designs a space for the future. Whoβs going to live there? What are they going to do there? But a film designer, in my opinion, designs a [...]
Keyboard Only Day π
Kinda want this personal challenge: Disconnect my mouse for an entire work day. See if I can get by entirely using the keyboard. Has anyone done this? [...]
5x3_3 Keyboard Layout π
I haven't made an updated post since my last in 2020. Since that post, I've been using smaller and smaller keyboards, settling on a 5x3_3 layout on al [...]
And There Arose a Generation Who Knew Not π
β¦And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. These are sad words repeated far too [...]
The closing of the canon π
Derek aptly names something that has been worrying me since I saw DALLβ’E's first low res images. I've thought of it as the Content Ice Ageβ¦ a moment w [...]
Export Things to Reminders π
[π₯ Download Things β‘οΈ Reminders.shortcut](https://images.evantravers.com/articles/2023/05/Things to Reminders.zip) So I didn't spend all dayβ¦Β just al [...]
Time Blocking in Fantastical π
Tasks can now have an arbitrary length on the Fantastical Day or Week view. Y'all know I'm a fan of giving my Tasks a home in Daily Plan (usually my c [...]
Imagining AccessibilityGPT π
In my years of accessibility research and development work, one tool has dominated the landscape. A technique so powerful, it transcends technology, a [...]
Playing With AI π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I've been reluctant to start working with the AI tools available today. I [...]
Advice for Remote Work π
I no longer believe in a "work/life balance"β¦ there's just life. Here's some (late) advice that has helped me work from home. Create a separate space [...]
Drafts Bookmarks and File Actions π
I've been a little behind on Drafts releasesβ¦Β but I finally started reading about the new Bookmarks feature. Some of my most used Actions just make pl [...]
I'm Still Afraid to be Weird π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. That last post is very silly. I will forever treasure my wife's look of d [...]
MagSafe Tenting and Wearable Keyboards π
I've been anxiously following the progress of #zen-custom-mods on Lowprokb.ca's discordβ¦Β people doing some very clever 3d printed stands for my belove [...]
Run Lua in Shortcuts π
Hammerspoon provides an action for use in the Shortcuts app. The action is called "Execute Lua" and if it is passed a text block of valid Lua, it will [...]
Wezterm and Neovim Dark Mode Synced to OSX π
This is honestly the main reason that I'm sticking with Wezterm for the moment over Kitty. I've been trying to have OSX, my terminal, and my editor al [...]
Trying Wezterm From Kitty π
When my friend Seth told me he was trying Wezterm, I paid attention. I've been using Kitty as my terminal for at least five years. I honestly didn't h [...]
Obsidian 12WY Review Template π
It's the 13th week of the yearβ¦Β I'm supposed to use this time to consider my goals, review my intentions, and plan the next twelve weeks. Instead, I'v [...]
Is This Where I Want To Be? π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I'm distraught that I'm going to miss the closest Nickel Creek show [...]
Hot Take: Elecom Bitra Finger Trackball π
I've got an Elecom Bitra Finger trackball sitting in front of me. Here's some thoughts after a two weeks of usage: Why I've been very happy with my pe [...]
Middle-Aged Reactions to Teenaged TikTok Filter π
I was sucked in to this stream of reaction videos for at least thirty minutes. The videos are emotionally compelling⦠a bittersweet mixture of loss or [...]
My Terrible Car I Bought With Data π
Data-driven decisions are vulnerable to a dangerous fallacy, a version of The Map Is Not The Territory fallacy: optimizing for maximum value given the [...]
Struggling to Write π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I like to write about small things. β David Byrne, Stop Making Sense Int [...]
Raycast, Shortcuts, Headspace π
Ok. We have Raycast. We have Headspace 2.0. How am I using it? The original user story for Headspace was born out of a desire to transform my computer [...]
Headspace v2.0: Simple and Headless π
Headspace V2 is a simple Hammerspoon script that responds to URL schemes and blocks applications based on file-system tags or names. Inspiration My ex [...]
Raycast Review as an Longtime Alfred User π
Raycast presents a lot of power for a free application, including some surprising integrations I've paid money for before. I recommend it⦠if only for [...]
The Mystery of the Dune Font - fontsinuse.com π
words set in Davison Art Nouveau ranges from sober to discreetly flowery to full-blown carnivalesque. Thatβs one reason this face isnβt easy to track [...]
Weekly Reviews in Things.app Using Shortcuts π
[π₯ Download Weekly Review.shortcut](https://images.evantravers.com/articles/2023/01/Weekly Review.shortcut) Cultured Code released a version of Thing [...]
Quick Tip: Searching YouTube Video for a Word π
YouTube has auto-transcribed all videos for quite some time. This transcript includes links to time stamps, so you can use it to find any word said in [...]
2022 π
My yearly theme for this year was Follow Hard.1 It was intended to remind me: To have direction, momentum, and break a sweat. A follower doesn't have [...]
The Road Goes Ever On and On: Tolkienβs Creative Journey π
When I first found The Fellowship of the Ring on the shelves at my dadβs classroom I thought it was a book I wouldnβt be allowed to readβ¦ a brightly c [...]
Working Backwards from Magic π
Put simply: working backwards from magic is an approach to creative problems by using the suspension of belief and any limiting factors to unlock new [...]
Journaling and Reviews in Obsidian π
In Dating Other Task Managers I identified a class of tasks I call Rituals. Rituals are recurring checklists that help shape my day and often have an [...]
Writing in Obsidian π
As I slowly shift from using just my beloved Drafts to using Obsidian for more of my writing, I've needed to rethink how I organize and decide on what [...]
Folk Interfaces and UX Black Markets π
Some time ago I wrote about what I called UX Black Markets: Users hacking or sidestepping the official system because the official system doesn't prov [...]
Cramming 'Papers, Please' Onto Phones π
Papers Please is one of my favorite games of all time. Fascinating, intricate, and deeply humbling, it is a great example of video game specific story [...]
An Ode to Advent of Code π
Every December I join a few local programmers in a #puzzles slack channel, sharing ideas and working collaboratively on Advent of Code. Advent of Code [...]
Doordash and Pizza Arbitrage π
I'm always fascinated by arbitrage⦠while business opportunities can be found in transport or other liminal spaces⦠so can piracy and skulduggery. Cus [...]
Single-Use Alarms on iOS π
I normally wake up at 6a. I've been attending F3 again, which means a 5a morning⦠but not every morning. (Yet!) I want the ability to say "I'm going t [...]
Never Make Infinite Meetings π
Never make meeting series that repeats infinitely. Always have a limit to the repetition. If the meeting is worthwhile your team will notice the loss [...]
Dating Other Task Managers π
I've a confession⦠I've been seeing other todo lists. I don't have great reasons. It started because I wanted to have the option of freedom from Apple [...]
Review: Mind Management, Not Time Management by David Kadavy π
Creative work requires sufficient quantity of quality ideas. We can maximize quality ideas by wisely stewarding our mental states: prompting the right [...]
Mobile-First CSS: Is It Time for a Rethink? π
Separating the CSS and specifying a media attribute value on each link tag allows the browser to prioritize what it currently needs. Out of the five f [...]
Quick Tip: Updating Contact Pictures in iOS π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. You can easily add an image to a contact without saving the image to Cam [...]
Extending Redcarpet for Admonition Blocks π
I've been doing a lot of writing in Obsidian, and they recently released a version with these lovely "callout" blocks. I like them a lot, and since I [...]
Review: Deeper by Dane C. Ortlund π
In April I finished reading Deeper by Dane C. Ortlund. It's in the same Union series as Gentle and Lowly and shares the same tender voice towards the [...]
Contemplating Clever Phones π
As useful as my phone is (I'm writing this in Drafts on it right now) I'm strongly considering trying out a "dumb" phone as my main phone, and replaci [...]
A Micro Office in a Tech Pouch π
For years my Goruck Wire Dopp has been my "just add laptop" kit. Itβs perfect for my old load out: a traditional charging block, some assorted dongles [...]
Pop Culture Has Become an Oligopoly π
If you have noticed and wondered about sequelitis in movies and books⦠it's not just you: it's a real thing. Adam Mastroianni writes: the shift is gi [...]
Indieweb Replies π
I've been posting links on the blog for a while. It started as summaries of my monthly reading but has morphed into daringfireball-style commentary on [...]
Keeping a Separate Creativity Computer π
I really resonated with Josh Ginter's self-reflection: [β¦] thereβs some sort of psychological barrier to opening the MacBook Pro lid when itβs time to [...]
Pondering Pinterest π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I'm having too much fun on Pinterest these days⦠mostly just creating wis [...]
Before This Damage Is Done π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I wrote this a year or so ago, but re-discovered it recently. This mornin [...]
Blogging Through Git Commits π
Ever since my friend Tom got me started using git I have been very intentional about practicing the art of crafting good commits. It is central to my [...]
Number Our Days π
[12] So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. β Psalm 90:12 While reading this morning, I hit this familiar passage and it re [...]
Frustrated with 11ty π
I've been flailing off and on over the past few weeks months to migrate my blog from middleman to 11ty. Every time I opened my code editor to write a [...]
Review: Corne-ish Zen π
In December I received my Corne-ish Zen R2 from Darryl over at lowprokb.ca. It's been my 100% daily driver since then, at my desktop, at coffee shops, [...]
On Midnight Tinnitus π
Last night I noticed a ringing in my left ear. Could be a new room, could be sinuses, could be all in my head. Could be the first steps towards not he [...]
Git Jump to Vim Quickfix π
git ships with a script called git-jump to populate vim's quickfix list with hunks or merge conflictsβ¦Β without using any vim plugins at all. My friend [...]
Bunch of URLs π
While conducting a weekly review, I realized that a frequent step in my daily process was opening all the URLs associated with a project. Every file, [...]
Notenik π
I try different apps for markdown note-taking, and I recently tried Notenik.app. At the time, it didn't fit my needs, so I removed it from the list. T [...]
Nudging Myself to Bless Others π
Since dropping social networks to "keep in touch," I've been musing on how to maintain precious connections without using tools that tend to use me. J [...]
Scams and Liars π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I don't know what to think about NFTs. People I really like and respect a [...]
Light/Dark Toggle for Neovim, Fish, and Kitty π
Several months ago @elijahmanor posted a great little tech tip on switching themes in Kitty terminal. I had already built a version of this for Kitty [...]
Hammerspoon Updates π
I've been slowly rewriting many of the automations I've already featured on the Hammerspoon tag. Originally they were tightly coupled both to each oth [...]
Shortcuts and Focus Modes π
After showing off my current Homescreen setup a couple folks sent me texts and emails asking for more detail. Magic Phone A quick recap of my use case [...]
The underdark of deepwork π
When an estimated 70% of job applications are automatically rejected by applicant tracking systems (ATS) and companies are screening out applicants ba [...]
iOS Homescreen 2022 π
It's been a few years since I talked about my home screen. A lot has changed since 2019 in both my working systems and in the iOS ecosystem. As with a [...]
Analog Inception π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I've been staring at this video all day since my friend Greg shared it wi [...]
2021 π
I'm still in the throes of reviewing 2021 and planning 2022. When I started to think about this year, my first reaction was that nothing at all happen [...]
Looking for a Serious-Use Travel Mouse π
I've been looking for a high-quality wireless mouse that supports USB-C: I found it in the Steelseries Prime Mini. For years, I have been using gaming [...]
Working in Castle Legacy π
Certain terrain lends itself to human flourishing. Food, water, shelter⦠often next to a source of wealth or trade. Because the terrain drives demand [...]
Border of the Known π
In any team-oriented context (product work, academic study, team projects, etc.) the whole team would benefit from documenting and sharing Strong Fact [...]
The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll π
It feels weird to be finally reading this years after I've been "doing" the bullet journal method. My first bullet journal is dated from 2016, so I gu [...]
Controlling Elgato Key Light with Hammerspoon π
Here's a quick automation that I've been hacking idly on for months: having my Elgato Key Air Light be automatically controlled from my Mac. While per [...]
Lifecycle of Notes: My Implementation π
This is a direct follow up to my previous discussion of the "strength of notes" and nurturing thought. As with all aspects of a Creativity System, how [...]
Nurturing Notes and Thoughts π
Not all ideas are equal. Ideas have different sources, confidence levels, provability and permanence. We use different words to describe our ideas: Hu [...]
The History of My Creativity System π
While mapping my inputs and outputsβ¦Β I realized the tools I used and goals I aimed for shaped my Creativity System over the years. This section was or [...]
Simple Markdown Zettelkasten 1.5 π
I've been quietly using a new format of my zettelkasten1 for almost six months. I wrote yet another giant migration scriptβ¦Β but I wanted my system to [...]
Note-Making on Physical Books in Drafts π
Drafts 28 has been released and with it the new Scan Document feature. Even before I got my hands on it, I knew that this feature is hugeβ¦Β this is the [...]
Whomst styles the whostyles? π
.robin { all: revert; background: #fcfcfc; font-size: 1rem; color: rgb(3, 3, 3); font-style: normal; font-family: Source Sans Pro, sans-se [...]
Review: Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund π
the sweep of the New Testament teaching is that it is the sun of Christ's heart, not the cloud of my sins, that now defines me. I was encouraged to re [...]
One Bag: Dirty Laundry π
Having just come back from the beach, I found the following link interesting. For years I've been taking a second empty packing cube on trips. As clot [...]
Snowballing the Angel of Death π
In Wrestling With The Angel of Death, Stowe Boyd addresses an essay in Wired by Clive Thompson. I tend to agree with Mr. Boyd's points. He does a grea [...]
Hamilton is an Obnoxious Aggressive π
I'm in the middle of reading Radical Candor by Kim Scott⦠so the quadrants of guidance labels are kind of floating at the top of my brain. As a quick [...]
Review: Do More Better π
Productivity is effectively stewarding my gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God. This concise book [...]
Review: Farewell π
Farewell is about a soviet double-agent towards the end of the Cold War. He exposed a massive operation of technical theft, contributing to the econom [...]
UXLondon 2021 π
My team and I were able to virtually attend UXLondon 2021 last week. The team at ClearLeft did a fantastic job on the event.Β I thought it was well des [...]
Review: 12 Week Year π
After several false starts I finally finished reading The 12 Week Year at the end of last year. I have mixed feelings about the full system they sell⦠[...]
Scifi Drives the Future π
A couple of weeks ago, I opened Overcast and saw an episode title that immediately grabbed me: The Memex. The Memex is a fictional piece of hardware i [...]
Atomic Notes Are Not Tied to Note Taking Strategies π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I'm struggling to get my arms around the next post in my Creative Systems [...]
Building Habits with Streaks iOS π
For the past two years, I have been habit tracking in my bullet journal. It worked very well for some habits⦠but others seemed to slip through my gra [...]
Robin Rendleβ ο½₯β Every website is a gift π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. In general, I love Robin's essays⦠and this is definitely how I feel abou [...]
Weekly Reviews: Things.app ο© Plaintext π
I'm still using Things.app to handle the recurring checklists for rituals in my life: planning, review, etc. Since I released my automated weekly revi [...]
Headspace v1.0 π
I've been working daily with Headspace since I finished itβ¦Β and I've made a couple updates! π₯ It's a spoon I've pulled the script out into a spoon, s [...]
Defining Creativity Systems π
1. In the last article, I proposed that there exists a set of note-taking strategies and systems that generate or discover connections between ideas: [...]
Creativity Systems π
As the interest in zettelkasten grows, I've become aware that I've been using the word wrongly. A Luhmann Zettelkasten is a very specific system, one [...]
Reflection and Recall π
I'm in the middle of a large refactoring of my input and outputs1: cataloging (and limiting!) the kinds of input I receive, and creating systems for h [...]
Automate Your User Experience π
As a User Experience Designer, I help design tools for a living. I work among folks with an eye for user-centric design principles, affordances, and u [...]
A Sheep All My Life π
[15] And [Jacob] blessed Joseph and said, βThe God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long [...]
Curly Underlines in Kitty + Tmux + Neovim π
Curly Underlines (or "undercurls") started with Kitty1, but has been pulled into Neovim2 and looks especially good with the fancy new Language Server [...]
Update: RSS Feed Without Links π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. Quick Update: I'm planning on experimenting with changing up my monthly l [...]
Drafts to Cardhop π
I've fallen in love with Cardhop as a way to keep track of relationships⦠especially after dumping Facebook. I'll frequently open Drafts to jot down n [...]
Books and Links: January π
Happy new year! 2021 hasn't let up where 2020 left off... I hope y'all are safe and filling up your journals with notes on the goodness around you. I' [...]
First Look: Goruck Claymore Sling Bag π
Goruck announced a simple clone of the classic Claymore bag for $35, and I ordered one within hours. It arrived today. For over a year, I have been lo [...]
Update: Hammerspoon Snipping Tool π
Part of my knowledge system is saving critical highlights from blogs and documentation and storing it for use in newsletters, documentation, texts, or [...]
Generating a Blogroll from Your .opml File π
I've been thinking about having a blogroll on my site for a little while. If nothing else, I owe so much to smarter people on the internet, the best t [...]
Feeding and Tending the Zettelkasten π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. Thanks to Obsidian, I've got enough tooling to really dig into my Simple [...]
Remote Work and Submarine Warfare π
You are in your submarine deep under the waves. You have been pursuing your critical objectives for weeks. Although other ships are all around you, yo [...]
Handrails and Backstops π
Orienteering is a sport that practices navigation by map and compass, constantly reassessing your current location and readjusting your course towards [...]
Scaling Yourself: Scott Hanselman π
The less you do, the more of it you can do. I think about this talk every day. It transformed how I work. Mr. Hanselman inspired me to write thoughtfu [...]
What Do You Want to See Here? π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. You, as an official member of RSS Club, matter to me. (All three of you!) [...]
Middleman Helper for Responsive Youtube Videos π
I've always hated how YouTube videos look when embedded on my site. They are always the wrong width, letterboxed, or just weird. After reading this po [...]
Newgrass π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. I realized that I'm in a newgrass mood, but as my brother pointed outβ¦Β I' [...]
Welcome to RSS Club π
# This is an RSS-only post. It's a secret! Read more about RSS Club. If you are reading this, then welcome to RSS Club. I've had a goal to joi [...]
Meta-Tasks, When, and Things π
Over the past two years the way I use the "When" system for To-dos in Things has shifted. I have realized that When is a tool of intention, rather the [...]
Tags Representing Tags π
In Drafts, I use the tagging system to organize within the application. For instance since this draft started, I've used the writing:develop tag to pl [...]
UX Black Markets π
A black market forms when people can't meet their needs in officially provided channels. I define a UX "black market" similarly: Users are hacking or [...]
Grace Over Haste π
Some time ago I took an emergency medicine course. We studied common injuries, and worked with amazing life-saving tools. The class often left the cla [...]
Building Middleman using GitHub Actions π
My site now posts from anywhere thanks to GitHub actions! I used this blog as a jumping off point, but there were a few things I had to modify: there' [...]
Plan Your Year π
This will be the fourth year my wife and I purchased and used Plan Your Year from The Focus Course. This year I am going paperless⦠I even spent some [...]
2020 π
Hindsight is 2020β¦ but I'm glad to see 2020 in hindsight. π₯ Truthfully, my family has been very blessed and protected in so many ways through this wi [...]
Books and Links: December π
This year is almost done! I'm working on a year in review thingy... how many years have I done that now? Books I haven't finished any books this month [...]
Automatic Newsletter Using Drafts π
In my day of automation post I mentioned a simple newsletter automation. It's grown since then. Some background: A year ago, we were using Monday.com [...]
Sketchnotes: UX Vision Intensive π
This past week our team attended the Leaders of Awesomeness UX Vision Intensive. Jared Spool led the sessions, and I was very impressed and grateful t [...]
SMZ: Updated Drafts Actions π
Today was the first day I used the whole revamped SMZ system, and it feels real good. I've made a few tweaks to it, but the migration script has staye [...]
Migrating a Decade of Plaintext to Zettelkasten π
This is going to be a code-heavy post. Use a repeatable script, take advantage of good programming practices to control the data going into your syste [...]
Books and Links: November π
Hard to believe that tomorrow starts December of 2020. The years are short and the days are long. Grateful to be chasing my toddler around the house w [...]
Obsidian Fixed Unlinked Mentions for ZK IDs! π
I have been working on the migration script to move my plaintext notes to a format that Obsidian and other applications will like. I determined that i [...]
Zettelkasten Updates... π
Since I wrote my last postβ¦Β there has been so much motion in the knowledge-management / note-taking space, largely due to the exploding popularity of [...]
Day of Automation π
I thought I'd record the automations that I've written that I use in a normal workday⦠I started a thread on automators.fm for this, hopefully someone [...]
One-Button Workout Shortcut π
Any area of your life where there are regular patterns or discipline is ripe for automation... like exercise! Alarming developments... Iβve going to f [...]
Books and Links: October π
This year is flying by... I can't believe how quickly this month has come and gone. Grateful for a lot of beautiful days spent outside with those that [...]
New book, same story. π
On the left is a journal I started the day before I asked my future father-in-law for his blessing to marry Sarah. It's been with me every night I was [...]
Emotional Budgeting π
A wise steward budgets resources with limited quantities because humans tend to spend all their resources on the immediate problem. Budgeting is twofo [...]
Obsession Log: Tactile Switches π
I currently type on MX Kailh Speed Copper and Gchocs from Gheavy Industries. The feeling of mechanical switches is a deeply personal, subjective choic [...]
Focus Budget: Updated Implementation π
Some time ago I wrote a blog post about the rough pattern of my weekly planning of a "focus budget." The objective is to estimate the time I have avai [...]
Quick Tip: Don't Sweat the Duplicates π
Quick tip prompted by Rosemary Orchard in this week's episode of Nested Folders Podcast: It's ok to capture something more than once. When I first sta [...]
Books and Links: September π
Around here autumn is lurking... the rising wind has the dry rustle of turning leaves, the air just feels crisper, and I'm craving baked goods and cam [...]
Hard Travel Case for Corne LP π
When I am bored I get on Amazon and look for hard cases that might work for my favorite keyboards. This week⦠the new Corne LP. While there are people [...]
Automating Blog Images using Alfred File Actions π
This automation is really ugly, but it makes my life so much easier. Automation can make you faster, but it can also make you more consistent. When I' [...]
Follow-up: Customizing a Keyboard Layout π
In February, I wrote about my journey to customize a keyboard layout. I tend to write while I'm still thinking and processing, so a lot has changed si [...]
Books and Links: August π
This has been a big month for us. Some new little feet walked through our door, and we are greatly blessed. I have small quiet projects rolling on all [...]
Craves and Gets Nothing π
[4] The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. (Proverbs 13:4) Lord, thank you for allowing [...]
Headspace: Block All The Things! π
JG wrote: As far as I know, Headspace blocks the opening of applications via the hyper key, right? I was wondering if there is a way to block the open [...]
Pull to Waste Your Life π
I read a short story twenty years ago⦠yet it has stayed with me. It's called The Magic Thread, I first read it in The collection of short stories cal [...]
Books and Links: July π
As this month wound to a close, my wife and have been awaiting our second child, so there wasn't too much in the way of reading on either side for me. [...]
Consolidating Multiple Lightroom Catalogs onto a NAS π
I referenced in a recent tweet that I've been struggling with how to store my photography library. I have been researching, experimenting, and working [...]
Migrating From Middleman to Another Static Site π
For about a year I've been flirting with leaving behind Middleman and trying another static site generator. While I still haven't done it, I've been s [...]
Outcomes Over Outputs π
After reading Lean UX1 I became convinced of the immense power of describing work to be done in terms of "outcomes over outputs." It seemed a crystal [...]
Implementing a Blog Series in Middleman π
While working on my hammerspoon series, I decided it was a good time to refactor how I related a series of blog posts. Over the past year or two, I've [...]
Automating My Weekly Review in Things.app π
If you want a crossplatform version of this I've built a version using Shortcuts. For the past couple of months, I've adopted a weekly review ritual t [...]
Books and Links: June π
The cicadas in our yard have been proclaiming the arrival of Summer... I joke that in Alabama, the temperature of summer follows the same curve as the [...]
Things Quick Tip: Keyboard Shortcuts for Tags π
Things allows you to assign keyboard shortcuts to Tags. Bring up the tag manager with ββT Notice the little boxes to the right? Click in one and press [...]
Introducing Headspace π
I am very excited about this post... I'm pretty sure that I've been working on it alongside the name-sake tool for a straight month. Headspace has bee [...]
Hammerspoon: Toggl API Calls and Secret Tokens π
Ok⦠I'm really excited to show you the tool in the next post, but some context has to be laid first. Toggl I've experimented with toggl for time track [...]
Hammerspoon: Handling Windows and Layouts π
One of the main things people do with Hammerspoon is wrangle their window layouts. There is a lot of awesome Hammerspoon code to help you with that, f [...]
Hammerspoon: Automating Airpods and Brave Browser π
As I continue to document my Hammerspoon configuration, I'm going to expand on hyper.lua and dive into a couple of modules with simple functionality I [...]
Hammerspoon: A Better, Better Hyper Key π
This all started with Hyper. I talked in the last post about my history with the concept, how I learned from Steve Losh's post on the topic and borrow [...]
Hammerspoon: History π
In 2012, I read the Modern Space Cadet article by Steve Losh. This was hugely impactful and I've pretty much tried everything on it (the shift-key tra [...]
Books and Links: May π
This month has been really busy for me. I've been doing a lot of reading on work topics, and I'm in the middle of re-writing much of my note-taking ap [...]
Busting Your Cache with the Power of Git π
I've been using middleman since 2012. While working on the current redesign, I once again encountered the problem that I had no way of busting the cac [...]
Creating a Focus Budget π
Around a year ago I started to block off time on my calendar to do deep work. At first this was merely a shield preventing colleagues from claiming my [...]
Time for a redesign... π
I started jonesing for a change, so I've been hacking away at nights on a minor redesign. I'm pretty happy with the final result. I think it's reasona [...]
Five Things I Tell Every New Developer to Learn π
In my last post, I talked about a question that helped guide my early career. By asking those I respected "what do I need to learn to come work with y [...]
The Question that Made My Whole Engineering Career π
Close to the beginning of my career as a software engineer I got some incredible advice. I wish I could give credit to the wise person gave me this co [...]
Books and Links: April π
Hey everyone! It's my birthday today, so lots of opportunities to give thanks. This quarantine time is going to make for a memorable birthday, that's [...]
Reworking my RSS Reading π
At the end of this month, my month's link post is going to be a little different. I'm changing all my note-taking systems under the hoodβ¦Β and I haven' [...]
Books and Links: March π
Hey friends. This is a strange season of life. I hope you and yours are well. My little family is safe and blessed... and other than our fears for our [...]
My Current Bullet Journal Layout π
Taking some time this afternoon to close down my third bullet journal notebook and open up my fourth. While the practice of journaling has gone throug [...]
Simple Markdown Zettelkasten: Drafts.app π
I wrote a Drafts Action Group to manipulate MMD metadata and build workflows from Drafts to my Simple Markdown Zettelkasten. Drafts.app is one of the [...]
Simple Markdown Zettelkasten π
Update: I've updated my recommendation to use YML frontmatter instead of MultiMarkdown and plain titles. More here. As I've lurked productivity twitte [...]
How I Auto-Generate Books and Links Posts π
Iβm assuming you have a cool tool that keeps track of these things when you read them? And that youβve already done a post on it (which I somehow canβ [...]
Books and Links: February π
Books Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Digital Minimalism A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of car [...]
Customizing a Keyboard Layout π
The following is an insane train of thought⦠and one that isn't completed yet. I have had a few conversations recently about how to think through cust [...]
Taking Screenshots in Chrome or Firefox π
If you work on any web application or website⦠you will eventually need to take some screenshots. In the old days, I'd expand the window to the maximu [...]
Books and Links: January π
It's been a busy start to the year... looking forward to what God brings in the new year! Links I've been reading a lot... but here's a cherry picked [...]
Italics in Tmux using Kitty's terminfo π
I'm presently using Kitty as my terminal emulator. I had been using iTerm2 for years, and it is an excellent emulator. After trying Alacritty1, I set [...]
Configuring Slack for Focus π
Slack is a wonderful application⦠and it can really bring teams together, especially ones that are far-flung and remote. However it is a constant drai [...]
Planning as a Decision Making Tool π
When you make a plan for your day, your week, your year⦠you are taking a moment to intentionally invest your time. With the information you have, you [...]
2019 π
I am grateful for the Lord's protection and guidance through the past year. To God be all the glory. Spiritual Life and Focus Last year I planned to f [...]
Books and Links: December π
A year comes to a close, I'm going to a year-in-review post later, but until then, here's what I read this month: Books Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandem [...]
Without Fear: Philippians 1 π
[27] Only let your manner of life be worthy(1) of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you ar [...]
Advent of Code 2019: Elixir @callback π
It's Advent of Code season again! I can't believe it's been three years since I started participating. It's such a fun time to remember why I like pro [...]
Things.app: 12+ months π
A little over a year ago, I was happily using my Bullet Journal to track everything in my life. In early October of 2018, I was juggling five research [...]
Making a Book Using Ruby π
When I realized my then-girlfriend was saving all her old cellphones to preserve our texts and had print-outs of all our emailsβ¦Β I thought I could sur [...]
More Fantastical 2 Tips and Tricks π
After some in-person and Slack responses to my quick post on Fantastical 2, I found myself dispensing more of the random things that I can't live with [...]
Viewing Two Weeks in Fantastical 2 π
Recently I learned from the calendar episode of the Focused podcast that my favorite calendar app, Fantastical 2, can show 2 weeks in a week view. It [...]
Indieweb Webmentions on Middleman or Jekyll π
Recently, @ttscoff asked a little bit about how I'm including twitter replies to a blog post on my site. I like building and hacking on stuff on my si [...]
Shell Game: Trying out Fish π
Largely prompted1 by Brett Terpstra's post on trying fish, I decided to give this whimsical shell another try. I've been messing with shell configurat [...]
Using git to generate a changelog for your blog π
Unrelated, but what did you do to set up the changelog at the bottom of your posts? β @adamyonk A long time ago, Tom Miller talked about how frustrati [...]
Thoughts on Sovereignty from Hebrews π
Hebrews 2:5-9 [5] For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. [6] It has been testified somewhere, βWhat [...]
Obsession Log: Keyboards π
As you can tell, I enjoy messing with tools. Perhaps too much. For those who care (cough, @megalithic cough,) here's the story so far. Apple Standard [...]
Books and Links: October π
As of this month, this makes one year of doing monthly link posts. I've been reading some stuff about the indieweb, and my format may have to change t [...]
Focusing Browser Tab Using JXA and Hammerspoon π
I recently started using Google Hangouts as my main computer calling method. Very quickly, the tab with the (often muted) call gets lost in all my oth [...]
World of Textfiles: Emoji-based Summaries π
(Thanks to @mikeormerod for reminding me to finish this post!) One thing I've found myself doing a bunch recently is highlighting interesting lines in [...]
Sisyphus and the Focus Boulder π
Here's a story for you⦠Try to work. There's too much to remember. Make a list. The list is overwhelming. Throw away the list. You don't need it. Try [...]
Books and Links: September π
Books Artemis by Andy Weir (Strong language warning.) It's pretty good. It doesn't have the breathless energy that The Martian did, but it's a good YA [...]
World of Textfiles: Daily Use π
I think this blog post is only for me and a few people who want more about taking notes, zettelkasten, Drafts.app, iOS Shortcuts, and vimwiki⦠but I n [...]
World of Textfiles: Meeting Notes π
As I wrote earlier, I have been experimenting with keeping my personal knowledge system on my own computers and in plaintext. I have been working on a [...]
Mechanical Keyboards Won't Fix Your RSI π
I've started a #mechanicalkeyboards channel on⦠at least three slack organizations? I'm a big fan of customizing your tools for your use, and it's jus [...]
Bullet Journal: 12+ Months π
I have been using my bullet journal for over a year now. While the original purpose for starting a journal has changed, I've continued to appreciate t [...]
Review: Essentialism by Greg McKeown π
A life designed, not default. Essentialism is one of those books that nearly every person I have been reading recently has referenced, so with a surpl [...]
Books and Links: August π
Books Essentialism by Greg McKeown I enjoyed Mr. McKeon's book very much, and was convicted about many of the ways my life has been "designed by defau [...]
Adding ruby and elixir mappings for vim-sandwich π
In my earlier quick review of vim-sandwich I noted that it didn't have integration with ragtag.vim's useful bindings. @gvaughn and I worked through th [...]
Let Me Remember My Song π
This morning I was reading Psalm 77, and it occurred to me that this chapter is the counsel I am so often looking for⦠especially as my wrestling with [...]
Books and Links: July π
Pretty crazy month, personally and professionally. At this moment though, I am content and grateful. God is good. Books Lean UX by Jeff Gothelf and Jo [...]
Dark Mode Kitty and Neovim Using OSX's Toggle π
I've been seeking a good toggle for dark/light terminals for a long time. I have been using a dodgy environment variableβ¦Β and after fooling around wit [...]
Quick Tip: Track Workouts Using Shortcuts π
I'm sorry, your browser doesn't support the video tag. In an effort to get better, (and because I like details,) I track my weight, water, and workou [...]
Highlighting External Links Using CSS π
I was talking with a coworker about a requirement to highlight links to external site on our product. While we were talking, I started wondering if yo [...]
Books and Links: June π
Very busy month, filled with wonderful things... and distractions. God is good. Books Good month for books! Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake I picked this [...]
My World in Textfiles π
I homebrewed my own notes system using Drafts and Vimwiki. There are many note taking applications. This one is mine. For over ten years now, I've bee [...]
Minimal iOS Homescreen 2019 π
Like most, I'm becoming more aware of how my phone sucks my life away. I started thinking about what would be a spherical-cow optimal phone usage: You [...]
Books and Links: May π
This month has been very busy... and I'm afraid I've fallen victim to spending more of my time on Factorio or other distractions. Life is full of ball [...]
30 Things I've Learned π
I've just turned thirty. It crept up on me⦠I was planning a trip, doing normal life things and suddenly my golden birthday was upon me. I don't have [...]
Books and Links: April π
We just got back from a simultaneously relaxing and exhausting trip to California... without my computer, so this is a little late. Books I read two b [...]
Community Post: 40% Keyboard Layouts π
Over the years... my keyboards have been shrinking. I used to use a full size keyboard, then I switched to a 60% compact keyboard. These days I've bee [...]
My Keyboard Setup π
I use my keyboard to control my computer as much as possible. By using a keyboard to navigate, launch, and manage your applications and data, you can [...]
Books and Links: March π
Books Good month for books! Setting hard limits on social media time really works. I read Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. While I was already pretty f [...]
Using Vim Macros to Undo Shortened URLs π
I've been tinkering with my blog setup. I use Instapaper to do most of my reading on the internet. As I find links that intrigue me, I add them to my [...]
Books and Links: February π
This is a little late... but better late than... oh well. You get the point. I'm currently making this post from my highlights on Instapaper and a IFT [...]
Review: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin π
I read this on Audible in the month of February, mostly while driving or on an evening ruck. The book is read by the authors, whose concise military d [...]
Enhancing search and replace in Neovim with inccomand π
@adamyonk recently pointed me towards Neovim's enhanced inccommand feature. When you use :set inc="split" or :set inc="nosplit", you get a lovely live [...]
Review: Deep Work by Cal Newport π
I heard about the book Deep Work during a presentation a colleague gave at work. The ideas presented were intriguing, and I started to think about how [...]
On Ungratefulness π
Luke 8:47 [47] And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the peo [...]
Books and Links: January π
Books Having finally finished The 900 Days, I was able to enjoy getting into my queue again. I blew through two or three sci-fi novels on my queue, a [...]
vim-sandwich vs. vim-surround π
I was reading a thread on /r/vim and encountered a name I hadn't seen before... vim-sandwich. I have been a long-time user of vim-surround, and was cu [...]
2018 π
The new year is upon us, and I've been reading a bunch of folks' incredible retrospectives on their years... this will not be that awesome, but I want [...]
What's in my bag? π
I like my Goruck GR1. I have a system of pull-out organizers to keep me going. Jump to conclusions for big thoughts... I've had this conversation over [...]
What I'm Reading: November-ish Edition π
I need to do some more writing, but here's some articles I liked out of my Instapaper account... I'm still reading the same books. These days I read r [...]
Tools for Habit-Building π
I got into a conversation about disciplines and habits as we head into the holidays (where my disciplines go to die) and into the new year (where my h [...]
What I'm reading: October-ish Edition π
I used to insta-share everything I liked on Instapaper immediately on Twitter/Slack... I'm going to try a different path and accumulate links into pos [...]
Git Gud at Vim 4: Plugins and Configs π
Our quick jaunt through some of Vim's features is coming to a close. In this article, I'd like to explore some of the settings that I have in my .Vimr [...]
Git Gud at Vim 3: Registers and Macros π
Macros let you record complex edits into a register to make tedious editing tasks easier. The last two weeks we've talked through the basics of how Vi [...]
Git Gud at Vim 2: Movement and Editing π
Vim is controlled by expressions that take the form of operator + motion. Learning operators and motions gives flexible power to concisely edit text i [...]
Git Gud at Vim 1: Buffers π
I'm doing a four part little workshop in Birmingham over lunch for some vim enthusiasts, and I thought I'd record my rough outline as a blog post for [...]
Pomodoro in Hammerspoon π
Thanks to the encouragement I got from this video I have been trying to use the pomodoro method. I am afraid I'm a bit of an information addict, so un [...]
Catching Up to the Conversation: Code Spelunking in Git π
Code as a Conversation Have you ever joined a conversation a little too late... and made the horrifying mistake of assuming you heard correctly what t [...]
I Built a Keyboard π
I have been using mechanical keyboards since college... it's just nice to have a good tool to do my best work on. The best comparison I can give is mu [...]
Bullet Journaling: A Six Month Review π
At the beginning of this year, I decided to upgrade my personal organization system. Between increased responsibilities at work and being newly marrie [...]
The Last Tab π
When I "research" or shop for things on the internet, I usually fall into an easy comparison shopping mentality. I open all my options in a giant bloo [...]
On unplugging π
(I swear, I hate clickbait titles but my brain could not help but think of at least fifteen horribly punny titles for this post, all of which I threw [...]
Too busy to be bored π
I set myself a goal to write a blog post this weekend... and almost didn't find the time. It's not that I had no time on my hands, it's that I have to [...]
New year, new site! π
It's been too long guys. I'm sorry I've been away... I've been... busy. It's been a wild ride, but the Lord has been very good, and for some reason [...]
Delighting In The Bride π
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. Psalm 16:3 Jesus, teach me to delight in the company and love o [...]
His love endures forever! π
Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:26 ESV) My Father, I have always loved this anthem of a Psalm, bu [...]
Starving π
Heavenly Father, thank you for your graciousness in creating our bodies and our souls to mirror each other in some ways... your patterns in creation a [...]
Forget Not His Benefits π
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from th [...]
A Beautiful Inheritance π
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. (β [...]
Finding Fullness of Joy π
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (βPsalmβ¬ β16β¬:β11β¬ ESV [...]
A New Year's Prayer π
Jesus, thank you for another new year... it's been a wild season, and I am grateful as I reflect upon what you have accomplished in my life and in my [...]
Delighting in God π
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (βPsalmβ¬ β37β¬:β4β¬ ESV) Abba, forgive my blindness. If this verse read βp [...]
If I Were Judge π
Then Absalom would say, βOh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.β (2 [...]
Filling The Void π
Abba Father, I feel the failure of one of my idols today. I have placed my hope for this week in some thing or someone other than you, and as it fail [...]
Finding Peace in the Storm π
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, βO you of little faith, why did you doubt?β (βMatthewβ¬ β14β¬:β31β¬ ESV) Fath [...]
I Surrender All π
Jesus... Thank you for bringing a theme of surrender to my heart again and again. It's one thing to describe you as my Lord, it's another entirely put [...]
Do You Hear The People Sing? π
I recently watched the most recent film version of Les Miserables for the first time. It's a story I already love thanks to the book, but the screen v [...]
Praise For An Inheritance π
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are s [...]
Praising Your Wisdom When It Hurts π
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually wi [...]
Songs in the Morning π
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love. (Ps. 143:8) I keep coming back to this verse because it's been the cry of my heart for a couple of [...]
Every Day Camera π
The best camera is the one you have with you. Chase Jarvis I've always enjoyed photography. I don't know exactly what started my life-long love of pic [...]
The Heavenly Gift Tag π
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord... And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heaven [...]
Lifting Up My Soul π
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. (Psalm 143:8 ES [...]
A Fair Trade π
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, st [...]
Empty Hands π
And his disciples answered him, βHow can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?β And he asked them, βHow many loaves do you hav [...]
True Awe π
Holy, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come. Forgive us Lord, for I fear we have lost the awe due the Lord of [...]
Many Changes π
So many things have changed very quickly, I barely have time to catch up, or write a blog post. I have left my position at Luckie, and after a brief s [...]
A Prayer for Heart Surgery π
Six months ago I prayed that you would tear out the veil of flesh in my heart, bringing my will, hopes, and dreams all under your control. Now, I find [...]
Journaling Prayer π
For some time now, I have added to my morning devotions the exercise of writing a prayer. It was born out of a need for focus, as the act of compositi [...]
Open My Eyes π
Open the eyes of my heart Lord. I want to see. To truly see. I know that if my eyes would truly see I would see the vast legions of angels, like Elija [...]
Feeling quiet... π
Sorry I have been dark for a while... I have recently returned from a marvelous trip to New Zealand for two weeks and have been spending a lot of time [...]
What a difference a couple of years makes... π
Seven to be precise. While trolling through my archives... I came on the first real website I ever made for myself, honest to goodness, using a real p [...]
Walking Away From Rage π
A long time ago, I decided I wouldn't talk about anything controversial on the Internet, whether it was a review of some entertainment, or an intense [...]
Workflow Part One: Blocking π
One of the most agonizing parts of anyone's workday is the inevitable question: What should I do next? I think more of my time has seeped into that ne [...]
Dying by Inches π
Romans 8:13: For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. I contin [...]
Tmux Tips π
Tmux has three levels of hierarchy when it comes to organizing views: Sessions, windows, and panes. Sessions are groups of windows, and a window is a [...]
Hello, world π
So I have finally manned up and rebuilt my blog. Being a front end designer, I felt kind of embarrased that I was still using a blogger theme I set up [...]