ldstephens weblog

File Quick View with Alfred

2018-09-04T15:32:48Z

September 4, 2018

If you have been following my blog for a while you know that I’m a big fan of Alfred. I use it all the time for finding and opening files. One thing I didn’t know though is that when searching files you can do a Quick View. In the past, I’ve always opened the file in the appropriate app to view it. With Alfred Quick View I can press ⇧ or ⌘Y to bring up a quick view of the file. This is a nice time saver.

Credit to Lee Garrett: Quick View with Alfred

Step count in the Health app not matching the step count in the Activity app

2019-05-05T21:37:10Z

May 5, 2019

I have a goal of 10,000 steps every day. I've been doing this ever since I quit bike racing back in 2011. Before my Apple Watch, I tracked my steps with my Garmin Forerunner 35 and the Garmin Connect iOS app. Now I'm tracking my steps on my Apple Watch and the Activity and Health apps.

One thing that I noticed was that my step count in the Activity app was different than the step count in the Health app. Curious, I set out to see why this was happening. By the way, I noticed that a lot of folks were wondering the same thing.

Here's how I fixed this issue. The answer is in this Apple Support article Manage Health data on your iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple Watch. The answer is in the Prioritize data sources section of the article.

Prioritize data sources

Here's how to choose the sources that Health uses first:

Open the Health app and tap the Health Data tab.
Tap a category, like Activity.
Tap a data type, like Steps.
Tap Data Sources & Access, then tap Edit.
Touch and hold next to a data source, then drag it up or down in the list.
To turn off a data source so that it doesn't contribute any more data for that category, tap the checkmark next to the source.
Tap Done.

If multiple sources contribute the same data type, then the data source at the top will take priority over other sources. Any new apps or devices that you add go to the top of the list automatically, above your iPhone or iPod touch.

Once I moved my Apple Watch to the top of the list my steps in the Health app matched my steps in Activity app.

GoodLinks for read-it-later

2020-07-08T22:53:12Z

July 8, 2020

I have been trying a new read-it-later and bookmark manager app GoodLinks by Ngoc Luu the developer of 1Writer.

In my opinion, GoodLinks is one of the best read-it-later apps out there. The reading experience is excellent. Articles and reading position sync between devices via iCloud. And best of all it’s a one time purchase for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Since it’s a relatively new app it’s missing a few features. One big one for me is that there is no way to import saved bookmarks from other apps. I would like to use GoodLinks as my bookmark manager as well as read-it-later but until import is available that will have to wait. I have too many bookmarks in Raindrop.io to move individually. I’m sure this feature will be added soon.

As a side note, GoodLinks for the Mac requires Catalina.

If you would like to learn more about GoodLinks check out this MacStories review by John Voorhees: GoodLinks Review: A Flexible Read-it-Later Link Manager Packed with Automation Options – MacStories

Maestral: An open-source Dropbox client for Mac

2021-01-04T17:56:48Z

January 4, 2021

Dropbox has taken a lot of heat from users lately. They aren’t happy with the app that’s now part of the Dropbox install. Like me, most users would like to have the Finder integration only. That said, I only have a couple of Dropbox folders that I would like to have on my Mac but I don’t want them enough to have the new Dropbox app installed.

Last week macosxguru mentioned Maestral in his 2020 Review. Maestral is a light-weight and open-source Dropbox client for macOS and Linux. It uses the public Dropbox API and integrates with Finder just like Dropbox used to do. I’ve been using it for a few days and have had no issues.

If you’re interested in Maestral an app bundle is provided for macOS High Sierra and higher and can be downloaded from the Releases tab on the Maestral GitHub page.

The backbone of my Mac Alfred 5

2022-08-22T14:00:32Z

August 22, 2022

There is one app that is the backbone for everything that I do on my Mac. That app is Alfred!

Most folks refer to Alfred as a launcher, but it is so much more. I use it for text expansion, finding files, launching apps, clipboard history, and more. No bullshit, this is the app that I use most on my Mac every single day.

The core of Alfred is free to download and use forever, with no strings attached, but if you end up liking it, you’ll want to check out the advanced features of the optional Powerpack.

New to Alfred? Check out Getting Started with Alfred 5.

These are the features that I use to unlock the full power of my Mac. Each feature listed below is a link to the documentation for that feature. To get the most out of Alfred, I highly recommend that you take the time to read about each feature.

Reference:

Guides and Tutorials – Alfred Help and Support

Tip: You can click the question mark icon in any preference to get to the relevant help page!

I hope this post gave you some insight to what’s possible with Alfred.

If you’ve tried Alfred in the past and felt, that it’s the same as Spotlight, I hope this post has changed that view.

If you’ve never heard of Alfred and are now eager to try it out, give it a go and download it for free.

iCreep

2022-09-24T13:35:18Z

September 24, 2022

Kev Quirk

Back in 2018 I decided I was ditching Android for an iPhone. Since then my Apple devices have continued to grow. Have I become a fanboy? I recently bought my seventh Apple device to add to my ever growing collection of iStuff. Here’s what I currently own:

This reminds me of my iCreep journey. Only mine started back in December 2014 when the keyboard on my Android went to hell. I replace it with a refurbished iPhone 6 Plus from Verizon.

Next came an iMac to replace my Windows computer. In 2015 I decided it would be nice to have MacBook so I got a MacBook Pro. I loved it so much that I finally sold the 2013 iMac.

I was never interested in an iPad but I eventually got one. It was the cheapest base model and as it turned out I never used it all that much.

Today I’m all in with Apple devices.

iPhone 11
M1 iMac
iPad Air
Magic Keyboard for iPad
Apple Pencil
Apple Watch
Air Pods Pro

I wouldn’t call myself a “fanboy” but I love my Apple products.

How many computers do I need?

2022-12-26T14:12:36Z

December 26, 2022

Dallin Crump

For several months I made do with only a desktop. Now I also have a laptop (again). But do I really need both?

Having a laptop again has reminded me of how nice they are in terms of flexibility and portability. Yet I also like the desktop’s power and ease of repairs and upgrades. But analyzing my tech use after obtaining a laptop, the only things I use my desktop for on a regular basis are light gaming (dedicated graphics) and data storage (2 TB HDD). Everything else – writing, communication, web browsing, etc. I prefer to do on my laptop.

I’m really feeling the need to consolidate and scale back on the technology I own

Scott Nesbitt

It’s not that I own all that much hardware, but I feel like I have more than I need. In 2023, I’ll definitely be paring back when it comes to the devices I own.

Reading this prompted me to get busy and sell my desktop Mac. Like Dallin, I’ve been using an M1 iMac desktop recently and now have a laptop (M1 MacBook Air) again. Since getting the Air my iMac has sat unused except for on a couple of occasions. I do my writing, communication, web browsing, etc. on my laptop as well.

That said, I’ve been vacillating on selling my iMac. Realistically I just don’t need it. I have a quote to sell my iMac from Sell Your Mac, so yesterday I reset and packed up it up ready for drop-off at our local UPS Store.

Here’s my current hardware stack:

iPhone 11
M1 MacBook Air
iPad Air 4th Generation with Magic Keyboard
Apple Watch 44 mm Series 4
Kindle Paperwhite

A shoutout to 7 years of Fastmail the perfect Gmail replacement

2022-12-28T14:45:31Z

December 28, 2022

Fastmail is a fantastic email provider that consistently delivers high-quality service. From the moment I signed up 7 years ago, I have been impressed with the user-friendly interface and wide range of features available. The customization options allow me to tailor my inbox to my specific needs and the filters make it easy to stay organized.

One of the standout features of Fastmail is its customer service. Whenever I’ve had a question or concern, the support team has quickly responded and resolved my issue. The security and privacy measures in place are also top-notch, giving me peace of mind knowing my emails and information are safe.

In addition to the basic email functionality, Fastmail also offers a calendar integration which has been incredibly useful for keeping track of appointments and events. The ability to access my emails and calendar on any device has made it easy to stay connected and productive, no matter where I am.

I have been very satisfied with my experience using Fastmail. It has exceeded my expectations in terms of both features and customer service. I highly recommend it to anyone in need of a reliable and feature-rich email provider.

All that said, if you’ve been thinking about leaving one of the free email services and want to better protect your privacy, give Fastmail a try. You have nothing to lose with the Fastmail 30-day free trial (no credit card required).

How to create Custom Actions in Goodlinks

2022-12-29T19:56:55Z

December 29, 2022

I love Goodlinks as my read-it-later app. Even though I love it and think that its the best reading experience of all read-it-later apps I've still been using Instapaper for its Share All Notes feature. Since I would like to use Goodlinks exclusively, I started wondering if I could replicate this feature with a Goodlinks Custom Action.

The first thing that I had to do was learn how to create a custom action. A google search found nothing on the subject. So I reached out to Ngoc Luu the developer of Goodlinks and he was a great help. I'm going to share our email conversation with you.

Ngoc Lou:

The sample action in my previous email is not correct, the ' ' character should be changed to '%0A' to create newlines. '%0A' is URL-encoded form of a new line character.

Here is an update of the your Drafts action that will place title, author and link URL in separate lines:

drafts://create?text=[title]%0A[author]%0A[url]

You can format the values in Markdown by inserting Markdown format characters in the URL:

drafts://create?text=# [title]%0A_[author]_%0A[url]

But this URL will not work because it contains unsafe and reserved characters (whitespace, #), you will need to URL encode them (same as %0A above), so the correct URL should be:

drafts://create?text=%23%20[title]%0A_[author]_%0A[url]

GoodLinks already supports a special syntax to URL encode text, it is { }. The text enclosed in those brackets will be URL encoded. You can use them in the URL like this:

drafts://create?text=\{# \}[title]%0A\{*\}[author]\{*\}%0A[url]

It is easier to understand and edit. The underscore character is safe, but it is better to URL encode all text (excluding values, e.g: [title], [url]…) in the URL parameter.

After updating an action, you might need to restart the app in order for the changes to take effect. This is a bug and will be fixed in the next update.

Now that I understand how to create a custom action, I created the following actions to get content into Drafts. There's also one for creating a todo in Things.

Markdown Title and URL to Drafts

drafts://create?text=\{[\}[title]\{]\}\{(\}[url]\{)\}

Title and URL to Drafts

drafts://create?text=\{# \}[title]%0A\{_\}%0A[url]

Title, Author, and URL to Drafts

drafts://create?text=\{# \}[title]%0A\{*\}[author]\{*\}%0A[url]

Title, Author, URL, and Summary to Drafts

drafts://create?text=\{# \}[title]%0A\{*\}[author]\{*\}%0A[url]%0A[summary]

Title and URL to Things 3

things:///add?title=[title]%0A[url]

I'm reasonably sure these actions are going to make Goodlinks my only read-it-later app.

My Everyday Essentials: Alfred, Drafts, and PopClip the Backbone of My Workflow

2023-06-04T20:22:38Z

June 4, 2023

In this blog post, I want to introduce you to three essential Mac apps: Alfred, Drafts, and PopClip. These apps have become the backbone of my daily routine, enabling me to navigate, capture, and process information with remarkable efficiency. Let’s delve into each app’s unique features and see how they can transform your workflow too.

Alfred:

Link: Get Alfred

Alfred is a powerful productivity app that acts as a versatile launcher, file search tool, and workflow automator all in one. It replaces the traditional macOS Spotlight search and provides a wealth of additional features that enhance your productivity. With Alfred, you can swiftly open applications, find files, perform web searches, control system settings, and execute complex workflows, all through custom hotkeys or by simply typing a few keywords.

Key Features:

Application launcher: Launch any app on your Mac with a few keystrokes.
File search: Quickly locate files by name or content, saving valuable time.
Web searches: Perform searches on popular search engines or custom search sites without opening a browser.
Workflow automation: Create custom workflows with various actions, such as executing scripts, manipulating files, or sending emails.

Alfred’s versatility and customization options make it an indispensable tool for boosting productivity and streamlining your daily workflow.

Drafts:

Link: Get Drafts

Drafts is an ingenious note-taking app designed to capture and process your thoughts, ideas and more effortlessly. Its primary strength lies in its ability to quickly capture text from anywhere on your Mac and provide a range of actions to manipulate that text. Drafts excels in turning your ideas into actions, making it an excellent companion for writers, thinkers, and anyone in need of a reliable digital scratchpad.

Key Features:

Quick note capture: Launch Drafts, jot down your thoughts, and it automatically saves your notes.
Actions: Transform your notes with a variety of powerful actions, including sending to other apps, formatting, creating tasks, and more.
Automation: Utilize scripts and integrations to automate your workflow and send your notes to multiple destinations simultaneously.

Drafts’ simplicity, coupled with its powerful features and customizable actions, makes it an invaluable tool for capturing and processing ideas efficiently.

PopClip:

Link: Get PopClip

PopClip is a clever utility that enhances your text-editing capabilities by providing a handy popover menu with relevant actions whenever you select text. With PopClip, you can quickly perform actions like copying, pasting, searching, formatting, and sharing, without having to navigate through menus or remember keyboard shortcuts. It’s a small yet incredibly convenient app that significantly boosts your productivity.

Key Features:

Contextual actions: PopClip displays a customizable set of actions whenever you select text, allowing you to perform common tasks effortlessly.
Customization: Tailor the available actions to your specific needs by adding or removing extensions from a growing library of options.
Clipboard history: PopClip keeps track of your copied text, enabling you to access previously copied content easily.

PopClip’s unobtrusive nature and seamless integration into your existing workflow make it an essential utility for anyone who deals with text on a regular basis.

Conclusion:

Having the right tools can make a world of difference in your productivity. Alfred, Drafts, and PopClip have become integral parts of my workflow, enabling me to work smarter and accomplish more in less time. By seamlessly integrating into your daily routine, these apps empower you to streamline tasks, capture and process information effortlessly, and enhance your overall productivity. Give them a try and experience the transformative power they bring to your Mac experience.

This post originally published at https://medium.com/macoclock on June 4, 2023.

How Devonthink found the files Finder couldn't

2023-08-12T14:21:21Z

August 12, 2023

Recently, I have needed to find some important files that were a few years old. I had forgotten the names of the files, but of course I knew the content of the files and I knew they were on my iCloud Drive. Finder didn’t find the files, no matter how many ways I searched.

I remembered that I had recently indexed my entire iCloud Drive in Devonthink. Devonthink’s search capabilities are far superior to Finder. Devonthink doesn’t rely on the traditional search approach that Finder uses. It takes it to a different level by cataloging filenames as well as deeply analyzing the content and context of documents. This means that the system understands the actual content within your files, allowing for highly accurate and relevant search results.

And of course, Devonthink easily found all the files that I was looking for.

Devonthink is a Mac app that can be downloaded for free from the DEVONtechnologies website. There’s a free trial period of 30 days or 150 hours of runtime, whichever is later. And it’s also a one-time purchase and not a subscription.

How to change font size for individual apps on iPhone and iPad

2023-09-09T15:35:58Z

September 9, 2023

Most iPhone and iPad users are familiar with the option to change font size in Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Phone, Notes, and other apps that support Dynamic Type. To do this, simply go to Settings > Display & Brightness, then choose Text Size and use the slider to select your preferred font size. However, many might not know how to adjust font size in an individual app.

Yesterday, I encountered a situation where I needed to change the font size in a specific app that utilizes Dynamic Type. I wanted to modify the font size in Goodnotes without affecting other apps. It took me a few minutes to recall the process, but you can indeed change font size for individual apps on your iPhone or iPad by following these steps:

Open the app for which you want to change the font size.
Open the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen. For iPhones with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Tap the Text Size icon.
If the All Apps icon is blue, tap the [This App] Only icon.
Use your finger to move the slider up or down to change the font size for the app.

The more white bars, the larger the font size. Look at the top of the screen for a preview of the actual size of the font.

I hope this helps!

xSearch - A Safari extension for improved searching on iPhone and iPad

2023-09-10T16:53:18Z

September 10, 2023

Every day, while using my iPad, I often stumble upon new apps that help me be more productive. Take, for example, my Mac setup – I’ve got Alfred triggers that speed up searches on certain websites. These websites usually have a predictable URL structure for search results, making automation pretty easy. With Alfred, you can set up the URL, add your search terms, and boom, you’re searching away. You can kinda do something similar with Shortcuts on iOS and iPadOS, but it’s not as smooth because it doesn’t work directly from the address bar.

With xSearch, you can set up the same sort of thing inside the address bar. xSearch is an iOS and iPadOS Safari extension that allows you to seamlessly switch between multiple search engines with ease, and even search directly from Spotlight. This can make your browsing experience more efficient and.

Here are some of the features of xSearch:

Switch between multiple search engines with ease: You can add as many search engines as you want to xSearch, and then switch between them.
Search directly from Spotlight: You can also use xSearch to search directly from Spotlight, without having to open Safari first.
Custom search prefixes: You can create custom search prefixes for each search engine. For example, you could set up a prefix of “g” to search Google, and a prefix of “ddg” to search DuckDuckGo.
Shortcuts: You can also create shortcuts for frequently searched terms. For example, you could create a shortcut for “weather” that would search for the weather in your current location.

xSearch is a paid app on the App Store, priced at only $1.99.

I hope this app boosts your iPhone and iPad productivity!

Reclaim iCloud storage by deleting iCloud backups for devices that you no longer possess

2023-09-26T20:19:12Z

September 26, 2023

Today, I decided to check my iCloud storage allocation, as I’m currently subscribed to the 50 GB plan. I found that I had have consumed 31 GB out of the 50 GB available. The primary culprit was iCloud backups, which accounted for a substantial 17 GB of usage.

Upon inspecting my backups, I made an interesting discovery. There was a backup for an iPad that I no longer own, and it was using nearly 6 GB of my storage capacity. I deleted this obsolete backup, instantly reclaiming almost 6 GB of valuable storage space.

Don’t forget to regularly check and tidy up your iCloud storage to make the most of your available space.

How to Use Fastmail's Auto-Purge Folders

2023-10-25T21:18:55Z

October 25, 2023

Fastmail has folders that can auto-purge emails? This feature lets you automatically delete messages from a folder after a certain amount of time. I’ve found it to be a great way to manage notification emails that I want to keep for a while, but not forever.

Here’a how to set up an auto-purge folder:

Go to the Settings page in Fastmail.
Click on the Folders tab.
Find the folder that you want to set up auto-purge for.
Click on the Edit button.
Scroll down to the Automated Actions section.
Check the box next to Auto-purge this folder on a selected date.
Select the number of days after which you want the messages to be deleted.
Click on the Save button.

That’s it! Once you’ve set up a folder with auto-purge, any messages that are older than the specified number of days will be automatically deleted.

Click here to try Fastmail for Free for 30 Days: 30 Day Free Trial

App-solutely wishy-washy

2023-11-28T19:14:20Z

November 28, 2023

I find myself constantly switching between different apps, services, and devices. What the fuck is up with me? Why can’t I just settle on what works best for me and stop this endless cycle of app flip-flopping?

My challenge lies in my susceptibility to the influence of other Apple enthusiasts. If they’re using a particular app, I find myself questioning whether I should be following suit.

Recently, I browsed through some default apps blog posts, evaluating how many people were using Reeder versus NetNewWire and whether they were using Feedbin or iCloud for their backend. This sparked my interest because my Feedbin subscription is up for renewal in a few weeks, and I’m considering eliminating it.

Another area that piqued my curiosity was the notes and writing apps that others were using. I was particularly interested in how many people were using Drafts, an app I love for all my text-based needs. However, noticing that Drafts wasn’t as popular as I’d expected made me question whether I should switch to Ulysses or iA Writer, which were mentioned more frequently.

I’m sure you get the gist of my problem. My goal for 2024 is to finally settle on the apps that genuinely work for me and break free from this endless cycle of app flip-flopping. How about you?

My default apps - 2024 version

2023-11-29T23:07:40Z

November 29, 2023

Alright, buckle up because I’m diving into the trend sweeping Hemispheric Views and bloggers everywhere. Just like over 200 other bloggers, I’m laying out my default apps.

Mac

macOS: 14.x
Mail Server: Fastmail
Mail App: Mail
Calendar: Fantastical
Notes: Notes
To-Do: Things 3
Cloud File Storage: iCloud
Browser: Safari
Text: Drafts / iA Writer
App Launcher: Alfred
RSS Service: Feedbin
RSS App: Reeder
Bookmarks: Goodlinks
Read It Later: Goodlinks
Password Manager: Bitwarden
VPN: TunnelBear
Utilities: Hazel, Keyboard Maestro, PopClip, Yoink, DropZone, App Cleaner, Moom, Witch, Hidden Bar, ScreenFloat

iPad Pro and Mini

iPadOS: 17.x
Mail Server: Fastmail
Mail App: Mail
Calendar: Fantastical
Notes: Notes / Goodnotes
To-Do: Things 3
Browser: Safari
Text: Drafts / iA Writer
RSS Service: Feedbin
RSS App: Reeder
Bookmarks: Goodlinks
Read It Later: Goodlinks
Journal: Day One
Password Manager: Bitwarden
VPN: TunnelBear

iPhone

iOS: 17.x
Mail Server: Fastmail
Mail App: Mail
Messages: Messages
Calendar: Fantastical
Notes: Notes
To-Do: Things 3
Browser: Safari
Text: Drafts
RSS Service: Feedbin
RSS App: Reeder
Bookmarks: Goodlinks
Read It Later: Goodlinks
Journal: Day One
Password Manager: Bitwarden
VPN: TunnelBear
Weather: Carrot Weather / Hello Weather
Health and Fitness: Fitness, FoodNoms

File over app

2023-12-10T16:05:56Z

December 10, 2023

Steph Ango

File over app is a philosophy: if you want to create digital artifacts that last, they must be files you can control, in formats that are easy to retrieve and read. Use tools that give you this freedom. […] In the fullness of time, the files you create are more important than the tools you use to create them. Apps are ephemeral, but your files have a chance to last.

This is the philosophy that I have adopted.

From Floppies to iPhones: My 40-Year Love Affair with Technology and It's Not Over Yet!

2024-01-01T15:56:08Z

January 1, 2024

Another year wraps up, and the clock is ticking closer to another birthday. I’m turning 79 in a couple of days! Can you believe it? Forty years have whisked by since I first laid eyes on that clunky Compaq Portable at work in 1984. I was instantly hooked, and my fascination with computers, with Apple, with the whole fucking digital revolution has never flickered.

My journey with technology began decades before wrinkles etched themselves onto my face and my knees and hips started protesting when I go for a walk. As I said, it all began in 1984, with a hulking Compaq Portable plopped on my desk at work. With its monochrome screen and dot matrix printer, that beast started a fascination that’s never dimmed in the 40 years since.

Think about that, 40 years! I’ve used a computer almost every single day of my life for four decades. I’ve seen floppy disks morph into flash drives, desktops shrink into MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones, and the internet explodes from a niche curiosity into what it is today.

And speaking of Apple, in 2015, I decided to share my passion with all of you — hence, this blog was born. I’ve loved every minute of it for nine years, over 1,000 posts, and countless cups of coffee later.

Some might think reaching almost eight decades means slowing down and putting the keyboard aside. But not me! As long as my fingers can type and my mind keeps buzzing with ideas, I’ll be right here, sharing my stories and insights. The tech landscape is ever-shifting, and there’s always something new to explore, a new gadget to try, a new app to try. So, consider this a promise: I’m not disappearing anytime soon!

Happy New Year, friends!

Why I chose NetNewsWire over Reeder for RSS

2024-01-14T16:25:04Z

January 14, 2024

As you know I’m a fan of RSS feeds as a way to keep up with the latest news and updates from my favorite blogs. I used to subscribe to Feedbin, a RSS service that syncs across devices and integrates with popular apps like Reeder and NetNewsWire. However, I decided to cancel my Feedbin subscription, which cost me $50 per year, and switch to iCloud sync instead.

iCloud sync is a free feature that allows you to sync your RSS feeds across your Apple devices using your iCloud account. Both Reeder and NetNewsWire, two of the most popular RSS apps for iOS and macOS, support iCloud sync. However, not all sync services are created equal, and I found out that iCloud sync works much better with NetNewsWire than with Reeder.

Reeder is my preferred RSS app in terms of design, features, and customization. However, its iCloud sync is very slow and unreliable. Sometimes it takes several minutes for new articles to appear, and sometimes they don’t show up at all. This makes for a really frustrating RSS reading experience.

NetNewsWire, on the other hand, has a very fast and reliable iCloud sync. New articles show up almost instantly. NetNewsWire may not have as many features as Reeder, but it does the basics well. It has a clean and simple interface, a dark mode, a built-in browser, and support for keyboard shortcuts and gestures.

So, after trying both apps with iCloud sync, I settled on NetNewsWire as my RSS reader of choice. It may not be my favorite app in terms of aesthetics or functionality, but it delivers on the most important aspect of RSS: sync. And for that, I’m willing to compromise on other things.

How to see the Today View in Apple's Reminders sorted by Lists

2024-01-21T17:19:11Z

January 21, 2024

I prefer organizing my day sorted by lists in Apple’s Reminders. While the app provides alternatives like sorting by due date, creation date, priority, and title, the list-based sorting feature is noticeably missing. In this post, I’ll share the workaround I’ve crafted to view my Today tasks sorted by lists until Apple (hopefully) introduces this feature in a future update.

Creating a Group:

To get started, I create a new Group in Reminders and give it the name “Today’s ToDo List” or any title that suits my preference.

Smart Lists for Each List:

Within the “Today’s ToDo List” group, I set up a smart list for each of my existing lists. This involves creating a new smart list and filtering tasks based on the specific list criteria.

Accessing Today’s ToDo List:

When I want to see my tasks sorted by lists, I simply click or tap on the “Today’s ToDo List” group. This action opens up a comprehensive view of all my tasks for the day, neatly organized by lists.

Now, managing my daily tasks is organized in a way that I can quickly identify and prioritize tasks based on their respective lists. Give this method a try to streamline your daily task management in Reminders.

Can't quit Alfred? Me neither! But I use these Raycast extensions

2024-02-08T18:02:14Z

February 8, 2024

I have been using Alfred since 2016 version 2. My Alfred workflows and muscle memory are so ingrained that moving to Raycast just isn’t an option. That said, I’ve got Raycast installed, and I’m currently using the free version, leveraging just two extensions that I find particularly useful.

The first is the Raycast Reminders extension. Here’s what it does:

Create Reminders: You can create new reminders, add notes, set priority, and specify a due date. The due date can be expressed in natural language. For instance, you can say “Remind me tomorrow at 3 PM” to set a reminder for that time.
My Reminders: This command lists all your uncompleted reminders. You can mark them as complete, set their priority, copy details, or open them in Apple’s Reminder app.

The second is the Calendar My Schedule extension. Here’s what it does:

My Schedule: View upcoming events for different time frames, from today’s agenda to the weeks ahead. Search for specific events. No more calendar app hopping!

Alfred simply has nothing like these two extensions.

Another and another and another look at Obsidian

2024-02-15T21:19:04Z

February 15, 2024

I’ve tried Obsidian before, but the whole process of migrating my Apple Notes into it just seemed like too much fucking work. I ended up deleting it and moved on. Then, the other day, I stumbled upon news of an Obsidian importer plugin for Apple Notes. Importing everything, including attachments, suddenly felt doable. So, I reinstalled Obsidian, imported my notes, and voila! It worked like a charm.

Next, I dove into the world of Obsidian setups and workflows. I watched videos, read articles, and eventually came across an insightful piece on the Drafts Forum by Stephen Millard, a highly respected member of the Drafts community.

Stephen describes his usage of Drafts and Obsidian, highlighting the distinctive roles each plays in his workflow. Drafts serves as his capture hub, a place where he preprocesses information for use elsewhere, acting like a transport service for his ideas. Obsidian, on the other hand, is one of his destinations, functioning as a personal filing cabinet for notes and writing.

He emphasizes that Drafts and Obsidian serve different purposes. Drafts excels in speedy capture and flexible text manipulation, focusing on simplicity and efficiency. Meanwhile, Obsidian is more about finding and exploring relationships between notes, featuring a more complex plugin architecture and a specialization in Markdown format.

Stephen’s longer investment in Drafts makes it a staple in his workflow, as it does for me, and he sees himself using multiple tools rather than replacing one with another. The availability of Obsidian on more platforms, including Windows and Linux, is a significant factor for him. Additionally, he discusses the lock-in aspect, mentioning that while Drafts allows easy extraction of data, Obsidian’s use of Markdown files makes it more accessible on different platforms and apps.

Stephen’s approach gave me a clear picture of how I could actually continue using Drafts seamlessly while still benefiting from Obsidian’s powerful features.

So you’re monetizing your blog

2024-02-23T21:47:30Z

February 23, 2024

Lately, I’ve noticed a growing trend among fellow bloggers as they attempt to monetize their blog. While I won’t call out specific individuals, it’s become apparent that something fundamental has changed. The content I once enjoyed reading regularly has changed, and unfortunately, not for the better.

These bloggers seem to be adjusting their writing styles and content strategy, likely in pursuit of pleasing subscribers or attracting advertisers. And the frequency of their posts has increased, but the substance has dwindled.

The question that lingers in my mind is whether the income generated from these efforts is truly making a significant impact on their lives. It’s disheartening to witness a departure from the engaging and valuable content they used to create or share through links.

Perspectives on indie blog monetization

2024-05-10T14:32:03Z

May 10, 2024

I wrote about this very subject earlier in the year. Here’s Riccardo Mori’s stance on monetizing blogs in his interview with Manu Moreale.

Manu P&B interview of Riccardo Mori

Riccardo Mori

Since I have a job, I don’t need to monetise my blog. Some people told me I should do it anyway, because ‘you never know’, but I currently see no way to monetise it apart from resorting to a) advertising, and b) putting some content behind a paywall. And I hate both options.

I hate what advertising has become online. I hate that today if you want a great browsing experience, you need to install all kinds of ad-blockers. And I don’t want to subject my readers to all that crap. You can visit my website with all blockers and trackers disabled, there’s pretty much nothing going on in the background apart from some basic WordPress analytics.

And since my blog is not a news outlet and I don’t have to pay anyone, putting what I write behind a paywall makes no sense to me. I don’t want to divide my audience into a privileged tier and a free-for-all tier. Nor do I want to create special content for ‘patrons’ that is invisible to everyone else.

My iPhone Home Screen: One Page Does It All

2024-05-10T15:19:52Z

May 10, 2024

Since trading in my two iPads, my iPhone 15 Pro Max has become my daily driver. This shift made me re-evaluate how I use the Home Screen for maximum efficiency. Here’s the thing: I despise cluttered screens with multiple pages, folders, Today View widgets, or widget stacks. So, my challenge was to access everything I needed from a single, Home Screen.

Here’s where the “Choose from Menu” action in Apple Shortcuts comes in. The “Choose from Menu” action in Apple Shortcuts is designed to streamline iOS device automation. It allows you to create customizable menus, presenting options for you to choose from when the shortcut runs. Whether it’s selecting a favorite contact, choosing from a list of apps, or picking a specific destination in a navigation app, the “Choose from Menu” action lets personalize your shortcuts and tailor them to your specific needs.

I use three “Choose from Menu” shortcuts:

Other Apps: This shortcut houses apps I don’t use daily but still need occasionally.
My Shortcuts: This one groups my most-used shortcuts for quick access.
Read-Later Apps: This shortcut brings up my favorite read-later apps like Omnivore or Instapaper.

By placing these shortcut icons on my Home Screen, I have all my essential apps and shortcuts readily available on a single page.

This approach might not be for everyone, but if you want a clutter-free Home Screen, give “Choose from Menu” shortcuts a try!

Update: My iPhone Home Screen One Page Does It All

2024-05-13T13:42:54Z

May 13, 2024

When I wrote about my iPhone’s one page Home Screen I had forgotten how I had learned to create the “Choose From Menu” shortcut. Yesterday while cleaning out numerous old notes I came across the one I made on how to create the shortcut.

I learned how to create the shortcut from this article, How to Create an App Launcher Using Shortcuts | appsntips. It explains how to create the shortcut from start to finish.

GoodLinks to iA Writer Custom Actions

2024-06-21T19:18:40Z

June 21, 2024

Hey friends, as I mentioned the other day, I’m switching to iA Writer for my blogging and writing. This means capturing my ideas directly in iA Writer. Since GoodLinks is my go-to read-it-later app, I’ve created some Custom Actions that seamlessly transfer content from GoodLinks to iA Writer.

Previously, I wrote about creating Custom Actions in GoodLinks and it included actions for sending content to Drafts. I’m excited to share three Custom Actions for sending content from GoodLinks to iA Writer with you.

Title, Author, URL, Selection to iA

ia-writer://x-callback-url/new?text=[title]%0A{_}[author]{_}%0A[url]%0A[selection-text]

This action sends the title, author, URL, and selected text in the active article to iA Writer as plain text.

Selection – iA

ia-writer://x-callback-url/new?text=[selection-text]

This action sends the selected text in the active article to iA Writer as plain text.

Markdown Title, URL – iA

ia-writer://x-callback-url/new?text={[}[title]{]}{(}[url]{)}

This action sends the title and URL of the active article to iA Writer as markdown.

Social Media

2024-07-24T00:00:00Z

July 24, 2024

Hey friends, let's talk social media. It's been around forever, and you know what? I gotta confess, I've never been a huge fan. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat – I’ve never had an account on any of them.

The closest I came was Twitter. Used to have it on and off, mainly to keep up with current events. But after that whole thing with the shitposter buying XTwitter I said fuck this and deleted my account for good.

For a while now, I've been on Mastodon. It's a different platform, but honestly? Here's the thing: everyone I follow there also has a blog with an RSS feed that follow. And guess what? The stuff I see on Mastodon is the same stuff I’ve already seen in those feeds. There's some occasional back-and-forth but for conversations I much prefer email. You can always reach me through my blog if you ever want to chat.

Anyway, after a lot of thinking, I've decided to ditch Mastodon too. Social media, just ain't my thing. I'll still be here on the blog, creating and sharing my thoughts. Just minus the social media.

Advice on Blogging

2024-07-27T00:00:00Z

July 27, 2024

Jim Nielsen

What my blog is now is a result of me wrestling with what it even means to blog. What I love about “blogging” is how personal it is. Even the word, “blog”, doesn’t give you any classifying genre of what content or experience you’ll get from any one individual’s blog.

Blogging is all about personal expression. The best part? You never know what you'll get from someone's blog, making each one a unique discovery.

RSS Versus Bookmarks

2024-08-03T00:00:00Z

August 03, 2024

Coincidentally I read two blog posts about RSS within days of each other this week. Chris is emphasizing the benefits of RSS and encouraging folks to start using it while Jason has decided to stop using it. So I thought I would chime in.

Chris

Request for iPhone RSS help

I actually prefer if you read my blog over RSS than the web, for two reasons. Firstly, you have more chance of seeing my future posts that way, rather than remembering to visit the website again. But secondly, and more importantly, I think you will have an improved digital life if you incorporate RSS into your daily habits.

Jason

No Need For Feeds

I decided to try something old-school, relatively “low-tech” and “slow-tech.” I deleted my RSS Reader app (NetNewsWire) from all my devices. And I have no web bookmarks to Feedly. But how would I keep up with the latest? What about the cool sites I follow? Answer: surf the web!

Now I simply rely on my browser’s bookmarks. I made a folder called, “RSS Replacement” and saved all the sites that I like to visit for new articles. So I more intentionally go to my bookmark folder and click those I want to visit when I think to do so. I no longer feel pulled to frequently check an app — pull to refresh.

I appreciate Jason's reasoning for deciding to stop using RSS but I side with Chris on this. I have been using RSS for as long as I can remember. Here's why: using RSS centralizes my favorite blogs and news sites, all in one place. I get real-time updates and I never miss a post from my favorite bloggers. Without RSS there is little chance that I would have ever seen the blog post above written by Chris and Jason.

Blogging Challenges - Are They Really Worth It?

2024-08-13T00:00:00Z

August 13, 2024

As an indie blogger, our unique voice is our biggest asset. Blogging challenges, especially those requiring daily posts, often lead to low-quality content.

I prefer reading spontaneous posts that are authentic, not those written solely to meet a daily challenge goal. As a reader, I can easily tell the difference.

Write when you have something genuine to share, rather than forcing content to meet a challenge deadline. Just my opinion!

Blogging - Eliminating Distractions

2024-08-17T00:00:00Z

August 17, 2024

This is Lionel "Ploum" Dricot writing about his blog on People and Blogswith Manu Moreale:

My blog is exactly where I want it to be. If I had to start again, I would simply do it like I did in 2022. I was quick to remove any form of comments from my blog and, later, any kind of statistics. As far as I know, I’m one of the few strong advocates for the complete removal of statistics/analytic/tracking tools. It’s not ethical to spy on users but it is also completely counterproductive. Statistics on websites are a brainworm. People are obsessed by it and it makes them write dumb stuff in order to increase a dumb counter. Getting rid of any audience-measuring tool is one of the best things I did in 2013.

[…]

I’ve completely deleted all my social network accounts and never felt so free. Ironically, the less I was using social networks, the more readers I had on my blog. Social networks don’t bring you an audience. This is a lie! Social networks distract you from your real work and prevent your audience from reaching you. That’s their whole business! I know how frightening it is to delete permanently an account with thousands of followers. But this number is also a lie.

This quote has prompted me to rethink my approach to this blog. While I’ve always valued the freedom to write what I want, the reminder to eliminate distractions like analytics and social media has hit home.

I've turned off analytics to focus more on the writing. I've also eliminated social media letting my blog stand on its own merits. This feels like a step toward a better connection with my work and readers.

15 blogging rules

2024-09-03T00:00:00Z

September 3, 2024

Give up on trying to be popular. I try not to filter myself based on what I believe will be popular. Some of my favourite posts get ignored. Some posts get popular and I have no idea why. Besides, terrible posts get buried fast if I’m posting three times a week. So post with abandon.

Give up on trying to be interesting. Readers will come to my site for what’s interesting to me, or not, it’s fine, just say what I think about whatever I’m thinking about.

Matt Webb

Who am I responsible to here?

2024-09-03T00:00:00Z

September 3, 2024

"Whenever I change blogging platforms or domain names or simply post to several places, I feel a twinge of guilt. How will my “audience” feel about the changes? Does it confuse things?[…] I don’t get a lot of traffic, but it’s also not zero traffic, so I feel some responsibility. But why? I am not writing for money or influence or popularity. I write to better understand what I’m thinking about, and sometimes share the result. I write so that I have a record of those things. I write, almost entirely, for me.[…] In that light, I shouldn’t need to worry about whether my RSS feed is consistent or if people need to follow me in too many places. I don’t want to be a dick about it, but c’mon, it’s an unimportant personal blog by some nobody on the internet. Let’s not overthink it."

Jack Baty

Write Like You Talk

2024-09-03T00:00:00Z

September 3, 2024

"Here's a simple trick for getting more people to read what you write: write in spoken language.[…] It seems to be hard for most people to write in spoken language. So perhaps the best solution is to write your first draft the way you usually would, then afterward look at each sentence and ask "Is this the way I'd say this if I were talking to a friend?" If it isn't, imagine what you would say, and use that instead. After a while this filter will start to operate as you write. When you write something you wouldn't say, you'll hear the clank as it hits the page.[…] just don't let a sentence through unless it's the way you'd say it to a friend."

Paul Graham

Re - On personal websites and social web

2024-09-23T00:00:00Z

September 23, 2024

In this blog post, Manu reflects on the divide between two groups regarding the future of being social on the web.

And in those posts, I’m starting to see a trend of some sort. People are apparently starting to split into two camps that follow two very different ideological approaches when it comes to being social on the web. And when I say “people” I mean tech people, those who care about this type of stuff.

On the other you have the people who are realising that maybe the solution is not to recreate social media but rather to abandon it and go back to a more deliberate way to be social online, using personal sites, small forums, emails, and other “traditional” tools. I’m obviously part of this second group.

[…]

Having said that I’m hopeful. I do think people are slowly starting to realise that you can get immense human value from the web outside of traditional social media. You have to work for it but it’s absolutely worth it.

I side with Manu on this. Social Media is shit (my opinion). I’ve mentioned many times in the past that I’ve never had an account with any social media platforms that most people participate in, except for Twitter and Mastodon, both of which I’ve stopped using.

Instead, I’ve discovered indie blogging and indie blogs. I have over 100 in my RSS feed, and I add a few new ones every week. I find that indie blogging provides a better, more authentic experience than social media by offering thoughtful content without the distractions of ads and algorithms. Instead of chasing likes or viral trends, indie bloggers write with passion, giving readers deeper insights and unique perspectives.

Additionally, blogs create a more meaningful community where discussions feel genuine and less fleeting compared to social media’s fast-paced, superficial interactions. Bloggers also have full control over their content, free from the ever-changing algorithms that often limit visibility on social platforms.

Re - How I find interesting blogs

2024-09-30T00:00:00Z

September 30, 2024

I like this conversation so I thought I would chime in: it revolves around how different bloggers discover new blogs. Barry Hess mentions submitting his blog to various directories but notes limited traffic from them. JRNresponds, saying they prefer discovering blogs through bloggers linking to or responding to each other, social platforms like Mastodon, and blog exploration features on platforms like Micro.blog. And Chris at “uncountable thoughts” echoes JRN’s sentiment, emphasizing that blog directories aren’t heavily used for discovery; instead, contextual cross-linking between blogs is a more effective method.

I’m relatively new to the indie blogging, so I’m always on the lookout for new blogs to follow. What works best for me is when I come across a blog that references another one I almost always click through, check out the “About” page, and skim the article archives to see if their content interests me. If it does, I’ll add their blog to my RSS feed.

For instance, if you’ve stumbled upon this blog post, you have the chance to discover three new blogs, in addition to mine!

On Don't Make a Blog, Make a Brain Dump

2025-02-02T00:00:00Z

February 2, 2025

Bradley Taunt, btxx.org:

Another problem arises when you finally do convince someone to start “blogging” online; self-doubt.

“What could I possibly have to share?”

“What if everyone hates what I post?”

“What if my content sucks?”

Just dump it. Who cares. It’s the internet after all, so who are you trying to impress? The point is that your sharing your own experiences that are unique to you as an individual. Posting something that you think is pointless or mundane might be extremely helpful or, at the very least, entertaining for someone else.

Write up what you did over the weekend, a new recipe you tried out, review a movie/book or video game you enjoyed, list step-by-step instructions on how you installed a new appliance in your house - anything! Just write and be part of what made the internet fun, exciting and personal again.

“Unplatform” a guidebook for escaping social media

2025-02-02T00:00:00Z

February 2, 2025

Unplatform

Unplatform is an interactive guidebook, online library, and recommendations database intended to help you escape social media and join the indie web.

I’m not on social media, but I’m a big fan of having your own space on the indie web. If you’re thinking about quitting social media, this guidebook is definitely worth checking out.

How I use AI for writing and coding

2025-02-06T00:00:00Z

February 6, 2025

I’ve been using AI in two ways: for help with my writing and for figuring out how to do things.

My writing skills aren’t that great. I know what I want to say and how I want to say it, but I struggle to put it into words. So, I use AI to proofread and improve the structure of what I’ve written.

The other way AI helps me is with writing HTML and CSS for my static blog projects. I use it to explain things in HTML or CSS and to offer the code. For example, yesterday, I had a couple of posts where I kept getting an error in my HTML, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. So, I copied the code and put it into Claude. It rewrote the code and explained what it fixed. I guess you could call that debugging my code.

AI has become a valuable tool for me. Whether it’s helping me improve my writing or troubleshooting code, it saves me time and makes things easier.

Re - No, The People Didn’t Vote For This

2025-02-10T00:00:00Z

February 10, 2025

Democrats, obviously, aren’t thrilled, but the more meaningful data is that Republicans don’t like what Elon Musk is doing at all.[…] Voters who supported Trump based on economic promises are instead seeing federal support for their local hospitals vanish, government contracts that supported thousands of local jobs disappear, and consumer prices continue to rise. The very voters who wanted economic stability are getting the opposite: economic chaos driven by an unelected billionaire’s personal agenda.

Mike Masnick

Well! Well! Well! Lied to!

Quoting Tracy Durnell

2025-02-20T17:23:08Z

February 20, 2025

Employ private posts — I don’t have to publish everything I write

Tracy Durnell

Kindle Paperwhite’s annoying flashes

2025-02-20T22:11:49Z

February 20, 2025

Dave Rogers

I have a 10th generation Kindle Paperwhite. I've read from it a fair amount, particularly when I was away, because it's so light. But I generally don't care for the experience. It's very slow, and whenever I turn a page I get this annoying flash as the screen goes through this inversion process from whatever mode I'm in until it settles on either the Dark or Light Mode, which I selected. That is, if I'm in Light Mode, the page will first appear in Dark Mode, then switch to Light Mode. If I'm in Dark Mode and turn the page, the page first appears in Light Mode, then switches to dark. Very annoying.

I also have a Paperwhite that I use for reading, and while I appreciate its lightweight, I’m not a huge fan of the overall experience either. I continue to use it because it’s so lightweight. I have an iPad, but it’s simply too heavy for comfortable reading.

Right now, I’m actually reading a physical book for the first time in a very long time, and I’m enjoying the experience.

Platforms own you, not vice versa

2025-02-26T00:00:00Z

February 26, 2025

Hannah Ziegler, The Washington Post

Online education company Chegg sues Google, says AI is killing business A new lawsuit against Google alleges that the search giant’s artificial intelligence summaries have hurt online education company Chegg’s traffic and revenue so much that the company may not survive in its current form.

Chegg, which provides students with homework help and test answers, filed the suit against Google and parent company Alphabet this week in federal court. In its quarterly report released Monday, the company tied its recent financial struggles to AI-generated search summaries and claimed Google has “unjustly retained traffic” that once flowed to Chegg’s site. Chegg reported $144 million in revenue in its fourth quarter, a 24 percent decrease from the same period last year.

Chegg's pissed because Google isn't sending them traffic any more. Welcome to the club. If your business relies on another company's platform, you're a tenant with no lease. Chegg's lawsuit? Probably a long shot. The lesson? The landlord can do whatever the hell they want and a public company like Chegg should know better than to rely on someone else’s platform.

Why write when no one’s reading?

2025-03-02T15:06:59Z

March 2, 2025

Writing without an audience might feel pointless. It isn’t just about being read; it’s about thinking more clearly. Putting thoughts into words forces us to process them in a way passive consumption doesn't.

But most of all, write because your voice matters even if only to you. And if just one person finds what you write useful, then that makes it even more worthwhile. I think about the things I’ve read that have stuck with me, and I hope my words can do the same for someone else.

Quoting Zsolt Benke

2025-03-07T10:03:21Z

March 7, 2025

getting recognized as a blogger these days is rarely going to work. People are increasingly consuming different types of content these days, and this is largely due to the way AI is changing the way we interact with the web.

That said, having a blog for thinking out loud is still the best way to learn and then “report” it, even if we’re the only ones reading it.

Zsolt Benke

Quoting Barry Hess

2025-03-16T11:31:32Z

March 16, 2025

Blogging is a conversation. It’s a conversation with yourself and it’s a conversation with others.[…] You don’t have to be an essayist. (Though you can be one if you want!) Don’t let those essayists discourage you from blogging. Just write. Just blog.

Barry Hess

This makes my fucking blood boil!

2025-03-22T10:15:28Z

March 22, 2025

Emily Peck, writing for Axios: Seniors won't complain if they miss a Social Security check, Lutnick says

Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick suggested this week that only "fraudsters" would complain about missing a monthly Social Security check, and that most people wouldn't mind if the government simply skipped a payment.[…] More than 70 million Americans get a Social Security benefit every month, and for many, those checks are their only income.[…] "Let's say Social Security didn't send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law, who's 94, she wouldn't call and complain," Lutnick — a billionaire former Wall Street CEO — told the billionaire "All In" podcast host Chamath Palihapitiya.

This kind of shit just makes my fucking blood boil. As many of you know you know I’m 80 years old. I depend on my monthly Social Security check to live. Would I miss a check? Hell yes! So would millions of other seniors Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and those who don’t give a shit about politics. For some, it’s their only source of income.

It’s not like we’re getting a freebie here. We all paid into Social Security and Medicare our entire working lives. I started working when I was 15 years old and was never without a job until I retired. So I paid my fucking dues and so did all other seniors.

Oh, but sure, let's just skip a payment, what could possibly go wrong? Maybe Lutnick thinks we can all just hop on our yachts and ride out the month, or maybe we should start selling off our prescription meds to make rent. The sheer arrogance of a billionaire pretending he knows what it's like to rely on Social Security is bullshit. News flash: We're not asking for a favor. We're demanding what we earned.

Maybe you can tell I’m pissed. Don’t fuck with our Social Security and Medicare!

Quoting Jack Baty

2025-04-16T11:30:36Z

April 16, 2025

Jack Baty

I need to find a way for my brain to relax. I spend entire days with a dozen apps open, each with a dozen tabs open. I click rapidly between them looking for something to focus on. I never find anything.

Jack Baty

I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t care much what you think. OK, that’s not exactly true, I care deeply what you think. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that I don’t worry about what you think. Are you mad that I keep switching platforms? Sorry, not sorry. Are you annoyed that I use words like “just” and “maybe” and “really” too often? Yeah, me too. We’ll get over it. Does it bother you that I don’t do enough throat-clearing before mentioning something that has become problematic? You’ll be fine. Would you prefer that I only write about Emacs? Not happening.

There, I feel a little better now, because when I got up this morning I wanted to apologize for being alive and just (see, there’s that word again) shut everything down. I don’t think I’ll do that, though, because regardless of what you think…I think…and it needs to come out somehow.

I get a kick out of Jack.

Quoting Juha-Matti Santala

2025-04-17T15:39:20Z

April 17, 2025

I guess for us techies especially, the desire to tinker with the site comes from having a deeper interest in writing code than writing prose.[…] I also love tinkering with my website to learn new things and to make the site and its tooling even better suited for my own needs.[…] I can write my blog posts on my iPad when I’m in the library or local pub and at that time, there’s no way for me to tinker with the tools or the website itself.

Juha-Matti Santala

Cleaning up my 11ty project repository

2025-04-18T12:25:18Z

April 18, 2025

Hey friends, I want to share a lesson I learned today about properly managing my 11ty site repository.

For a while now, I've been noticing something strange whenever I committed changes to GitHub. When I'd make edits with my development server running (npm start), my commits would include a bunch of extra files I didn't actually change. Turns out, I was accidentally committing all my build files along with my source code!

Here's what was happening:

When running npm start, 11ty generates build files in directories like _site or dist
Without a proper .gitignore file, Git was tracking ALL these generated files
Every time I committed changes, I was pushing both my source code AND these temporary build files

This wasn't just cluttering my repository, it was also confusing when looking at commit histories and potentially causing conflicts.

The fix was surprisingly simple:

Created a .gitignore file in my project root
Added entry for build directory
Ran git rm -r --cached . to clear Git's tracking cache
Re-added my files with git add . (which now respects the .gitignore)
Committed the cleaned-up repository

Since my site deploys to Netlify directly from GitHub, I don't need those build files in my repository anyway. Netlify handles the building process on their servers.

Now my repository is clean, my commits only show the files I've actually changed, and the deployment process works exactly the same.

Text editors

2025-04-19T17:28:40Z

April 19, 2025

I’m tinkering with editors to write blog posts that integrate with my 11ty site. Posts need front matter and must be in Markdown, so the editor has to load my 11ty project and let me drop new posts into the right folder. It also needs to play nice with GitHub Desktop. Since I’m not coding anymore,just writing Markdown, I don’t need anything fancy.

Right now, I’ve only got two editors installed that do the job: BBEdit and VS Code. I’ve tried writing Markdown in VS Code, but honestly, it’s a shitty experience. I also gave Sublime Text a shot, but it takes too much setup and learning, and it’s $99. Not worth it for me. So for now, I’m sticking with BBEdit.

My on going 11ty learning curve

2025-04-20T11:34:02Z

April 20, 2025

Hey friends, I’m still learning how to use 11ty, and every now and then something clicks.

I've come to the realization that I don't need to write blog posts in a code editor like VS Code. If I'm just writing a post, a regular text editor does the job just fine.

All I need to do is drop the Markdown file into the posts folder of my local 11ty project. That folder is part of my local Git repository. Once the file's there, GitHub Desktop picks up the change. From there, I can commit and push it, and Netlify takes care of the rest building and publishing the updated to my site.

The only time I need a code editor is when I want to make a change to the site itself, like tweaking the layout, updating styles, or editing config files.

11ty blog post workflow

2025-04-21T08:48:43Z

April 21, 2025

After realizing that I don’t need a code editor to process a new blog post in 11ty I have a new workflow:

Write the post in Markdown with front matter using Drafts.
Save as file to the Desktop, naming it with the post slug.
Drag the file into the appropriate Dropzone folder that moves it into the correct location in the local 11ty project.
Use GitHub Desktop to commit and push the changes.

The future of the iPad

2025-04-21T17:42:15Z

April 21, 2025

Some quick thoughts on the future of the iPad. Since the iPad launched in 2010, it's been the go-to device for kids. It's safe, simple, great for games, learning, and videos. These iPad kids have grown up with it as their first computer.

It's estimated that a significant portion of iPad users are kids and families. Around 80% of U.S. households with children own tablets, including iPads. This high rate of ownership shows that tablets are popular among families with kids under 18.

So what happens when those iPad kids become adults? The oldest are maybe 15 now. We don't know what they'll choose as adults. Maybe they'll stick with the iPad because it's the computer they know. For them, simplicity isn't a drawback, it's how computers work. That's the open question that will shape the future of the iPad.

I don't think the future of the iPad will be determined by those who started on the Mac, went iPad, and are now going back to the Mac after hitting iPadOS limitations and want Mac like features. I think the iPads future will be determined by those kids who have grown up using an iPad.

New desk chair

2025-04-26T11:38:15Z

April 26, 2025

My old chair was plastic, and the left support piece that connects the back to the seat broke. I lived with it for a couple of months because I was too lazy to look for a new one.

On Friday, I finally decided to get off my ass and get a replacement. I knew what I wanted and asked ChatGPT for recommendations. One of the suggestions was the Kroy Ergonomic Mesh Swivel Task Chair, Black (UN59456) from Staples. My local store had it in stock, so I hopped in my truck and picked it up.

The new chair offers an extra two inches of height compared to my old one. Now my hands sit slightly above the keyboard instead of below it. It's way more comfortable and much better for typing. It’s a fantastic improvement!

Link Post - You should blog

2025-04-26T15:28:18Z

April 26, 2025

Some advice if you’re starting a blog for the first time (or it’s been awhile):

Share your thoughts on whatever. You’re a blogger, not an opinion columnist in the washington post.

Change your mind! Write about why you changed your mind!

Write however you want. Run-on sentences. Weird grammar. Write in limericks, sonnets, or haikus – defy the grammar cops.

Keith Kurson

Link post - An investment in your health…

2025-04-28T15:28:34Z

April 28, 2025

Patrick Rhone

But your body, once it’s done, it’s done.

So, it’s even more important to use and maintain it as well as you can, for as long as you can. Because it’s irreplaceable.

So, put the best fuel (food) in it you can. Make sure that fuel is clean and high-quality (organic, sustainable, balanced, chemical free, ingredients you can trust, etc.). Keep your regularly scheduled maintenance visits (doctors, dentist, etc.). Run it regularly at both cruising and highway speeds (regular walking and exercise). Give it regular washings and keep it looking good (clean cars run better and last longer, so do bodies). These things may cost you more, but that’s because they are better and better for you.

Excellent advice!

Automating 11ty backups with a shell script and Keyboard Maestro

2025-05-17T11:55:04Z

May 17, 2025

I've always done Time Machine backups every Friday, which is fine for most things. But when it comes to the 11ty project for this blog, I wanted something more frequent. I make changes throughout the week, and if I break something, I want to be able to restore from a recent backup. So, I decided to automate it.

The goal was to back up my entire 11ty project, including the public folder that's ignored by GitHub. To do this, I created a simple script to zip up the entire project and store it securely on an external drive. Here's the script:

mkdir -p ~/Documents/ProjectBackups/
cd /Users/lorenstephens/Documents/GitHub/
zip -r ldstephensnet-$(date +"%Y-%m-%d-%I-%M%p").zip ldstephensnet
mv ldstephensnet-*.zip "/Volumes/Nemo/ProjectBackups/"

This creates a backup folder if it doesn't exist, switches to my 11ty project directory, zips the entire project (including ignored files), names the zip with the date and time for easy reference, and moves it to an external drive.

To make it even easier, I added the script to Keyboard Maestro. Now, with a simple keyboard shortcut, the backup runs automatically. No more worries about missing files or skipped commits.

This script saves me from manual backups, and I know everything is safely stored. If I break something, I can always go back to the previous version.

Search

2025-05-31T14:39:59Z

May 31, 2025

Hey friends, when I'm looking for an answer or doing research, I rarely use Google anymore. I've been using ChatGPT instead. Depending on what I'm after, it can take forever to dig through Google results to find what I need. ChatGPT just gets to the point. ChatGPT also learns about me. It knows I use Netlify, so when I ask a question about it, I don't have to explain much, it just knows.

And yes, there are privacy concerns. But let's be honest, Google has been collecting our data for years. I do what I can to protect my privacy, but it's already out there.

I get that some folks are wary of AI, but it's not going anywhere. We might as well lean into it.

Link Post: RFK Jr.’s CDC Panel Ditches Some Flu Shots Based on Anti-Vaccine Junk Data

2025-06-28T11:46:03Z

June 28, 2025

John Gruber

Having an ignorant conspiracy nut lead the Department of Health and Human Services is angering and worrisome, to say the least. But it’s also incredibly frustrating, because Donald Trump himself isn’t an anti-vaxxer. In fact, one of the few great achievements of the first Trump Administration was Operation Warp Speed, a highly successful effort spearheaded by the US federal government to “facilitate and accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.” […] But instead, while plotting his return to office, Trump smelled opportunity with the anti-vax contingent of the out-and-proud Stupid-Americans, and now here we are, with a genuine know-nothing lunatic like RFK Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. God help us if another pandemic hits in the next few years.

This has me worried. Will I even be able to get my flu and COVID shots this fall? I’m a senior. Seniors' get the high-dose version for extra protection. But sure, let’s gamble with seniors’ lives. What could go wrong? With this fucking whack job running Health and Human Services, America’s about to get a whole lot sicker.

Run-Walk-Run

2025-06-30T09:43:08Z

June 30, 2025

Since I've started adding some running sections to my morning walks with Trix (our dog), I decided to start recording them in Strava yesterday. I've had a Strava account for years, from back in my bike racing days, so it was easy to pick it back up.

I'm not planning to do anything serious with the running, but hey, at 80, I might actually place pretty well in some 5K events.

I think I'd be more into 5K trail runs than road races, though. For now, it's more about staying fit and healthy, but who knows?

Link post: I don’t want your email

2025-07-07T16:18:48Z

July 7, 2025

I don’t know who reads this. I don’t know how they find it. I don’t know if they’ll ever come back. I don’t know a damned thing. And that’s by design. I value my privacy and by extension, I value others’. That’s exactly why I don’t have newsletters. The last thing I want is someone’s email.

[…]

This blog is a place to get things out of my head. I write for myself. Putting it on display provides just enough social pressure to give it that much more care. But it’d be fine if it was read by no one. I won’t lie–that wasn’t always the case. It took me a lot of years to grind that desire out of me.

[…]

Many folks got caught in the trap that they just might be able to make a living by making content. And just like every other road to fame, 99.9% of them didn’t.

[…]

I’ll never grow a following or make a dime from this blog. That’s just fine. It keeps things clean and easy. I have a simple site that I pay nothing to host. I have no aspirations beyond what this currently is. I write the things I want to write. People may read it. If they do, awesome. If they don’t, whatever. It’s freeing.

[…]

But who cares about how I feel. More importantly, this approach respects readers. They’re not tracked. They’re not bothered with ads. There are no stupid GDPR labyrinths. None of their personal information is stored. They come, they read, they leave. That’s it.

PJ Onori

I always find it enjoyable to read others' perspectives on blogs and blogging.

Anti-Vaxx Stupidity: U.S. measles cases hit highest level in 33 years

2025-07-11T16:57:59Z

July 11, 2025

Well, this is just fucking GREAT. Measles is making a comeback. The U.S. is having its biggest outbreak in 33 years, with more than a thousand cases and counting, mostly because too many people decided vaccines are optional. “The measles milestone comes the same week that some of the nation's leading medical associations sued Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., charging him with what they characterize as an effort to undermine trust in vaccines among the American public.”

Texas is leading the charge, and summer travel is helping measles spread across the country.

Why Am I Still Listening?

2025-07-19T09:38:46Z

July 19, 2025

There's a tech podcast that I listen to (not naming names) with three hosts. One of them is a smug, know-it-all asshole who makes the show almost unbearable at times. So why do I keep listening? Well, because the other two are great, and I often learn something.

I've deleted the podcast from my feed more than once, and I'll probably do it again. Today's episode, during my walk, pushed me right back to that point.

Fiddling with my blogs today

2025-07-21T19:09:16Z

July 21, 2025

I was fiddling with my blogs today and made a few updates.

On this site, I rebuilt the site using modified version of the 11ty base blog and added a background color. Now both my blogs have the same layout.

Still not sure if I'll link to weblog.ldstephens from ldstephens. There's already a link going the other way in the nav.

On The Weird Web

2025-08-03T10:43:51Z

August 3, 2025

I’m so sick of hyper-specialized, narrowly focused web presence. Give me weird. Give me personal. Talk about more than just “your focus.” I want to hear about music and art and what you’re reading and your hobbies and travels. Show me the real you. Make the web weird again!

Chris Ferdinandi

lstephens has always been pretty narrowly focused on tech and Apple stuff. That's exactly why I started this weblog - as a place where I can freely post about everything else. It’s my weird web, and I don't want to bore my tech followers with personal stories, random thoughts, the occasional rant, or whatever else I'm into that has nothing to do with tech.

There’s no fucking cure for stupid

2025-08-08T13:25:30Z

August 8, 2025

RFK Jr. Cancels Nearly $500 Million in mRNA Vaccine Contracts

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has canceled nearly $500 million of grants and contracts for developing mRNA vaccines, the Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday.

It is the latest blow to research on this technology. In May, the Department of Health and Human Services revoked a nearly $600 million contract to the drugmaker Moderna to develop a vaccine against bird flu.

The new cancellations dismayed scientists, many of whom regard mRNA shots as the best option for protecting Americans in a pandemic.

“This is a bad day for science,” said Scott Hensley, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania who has been working to develop an mRNA vaccine against influenza.

Analytics

2025-08-16T11:03:02Z

August 16, 2025

Analytics numbers can be deceiving. They only capture part of your audience, missing readers who follow your site in RSS without ever visiting directly. That means the traffic you see is just the drive-by visitors. Keep that in mind the next time you judge your site's performance by analytics alone.

Link post: This is your reminder that…

2025-08-21T11:50:43Z

August 21, 2025

Pundits are not Journalists.

Op-ed is not news.

Polls are propaganda.

Anyone can be a “media outlet” or a “Journalist” on the Internet.

Just because you read it does not make it true.

Especially scrutinize things that confirm your theories and views.

Trust but verify.

Patrick Rhone

Quoting Dave Pell

2025-08-21T14:25:43Z

August 21, 2025

Dem Bones: "Few measurements reflect the luster of a political party’s brand more clearly than the choice by voters to identify with it — whether they register on a clipboard in a supermarket parking lot, at the Department of Motor Vehicles or in the comfort of their own home. And fewer and fewer Americans are choosing to be Democrats." The Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis.

[…]

Thou Shall Not: "A federal judge in Texas temporarily halted on Wednesday a state law that would have required the Ten Commandments to be visibly displayed in every public school classroom by Sept. 1." Judge Halts Texas Law Mandating the Ten Commandments in School. (Maybe people should spend less time pushing the ten commandments and more time following them.)

Dave Pell

New Look

2025-08-23T10:05:43Z

August 23, 2025

I’ve been tinkering with the site’s design and layout the last couple of days. The new color scheme is my take on Dracula (the theme, not the vampire), and navigation has moved to the footer. I like this version better since it’s mine, unlike the old 11ty-base-blog setup.

August 24, 2025, at 3:20:03 PM

2025-08-24T15:21:18Z

August 24, 2025

Made a few more changes to the site today. Moved the navigation from the footer to the top.

Carrot Weather’s limited weather sources

2025-10-08T08:31:38Z

October 8, 2025

I recently wrote about weather apps and their importance in my area. In that post, I mentioned my love for Carrot Weather, but noted that the available weather sources are not accurate for central New Jersey. The most reliable sources for my region are The Weather Channel and Weatherbit.

As my Carrot subscription is up for renewal in a couple of months, I decided to reach out to the developer and suggest that they add these sources to Carrot. I don’t think my request is unreasonable for such a great app. Hello Weather offers 11 weather source options, including The Weather Channel and Weatherbit, compared to Carrot's 7 sources—almost twice as many.

I know I’m just one person making this request, so I’m sure it may be overlooked. However, I can't be the only one wishing for additional source options in Carrot. Unless something changes, I will not be renewing my subscription.

Updated design

2025-10-25T17:11:38Z

October 25, 2025

I updated the design of this site today. It’s simpler, faster, and easier to read.

The new look sticks to a clean black-and-white theme that automatically switches to dark mode if your device prefers it. Links are always underlined for clarity, and system fonts keep everything feeling native and quick.

Just a small refresh — focused on readability and comfort.

Hobbies

2025-11-01T12:46:27Z

November 1, 2025

One of my favorite hobbies is exploring different text editors. They typically fall into two categories: simple and ready-to-use, or deep and endlessly customizable, provided you invest the time.

Editors like iA Writer and MarkEdit are user-friendly and come with most of the essential features built-in. In contrast, Drafts, VS Code, BBEdit, and Sublime Text offer extensive customization options, but require a willingness to learn.

Drafts is my go-to editor because I've used it for years and have customized it to suit my preferences. When I need a more focused writing environment, I use iA Writer. I use VS Code to manage my 11ty sites.

More design updates

2025-11-01T13:13:44Z

November 1, 2025

This morning, I updated the homepage of this site. I've been wanting to add my 10 most recent posts to it, and I finally managed to get it done.

A Practical Path to Universal Healthcare

2025-11-28T11:56:28Z

I’ve been digging into Scott Galloway’s take on healthcare, something he talks about a lot on Pivot and honestly, his phased Medicare expansion idea makes a lot of sense for America. He thinks the path to a national system isn’t some overnight revolution. It’s a slow rollout: cut the Medicare age by two years every two years until it covers everyone.

65 → 63 → 61 → all the way down to zero.

It’s a simple way to move to a real Medicare for All. Hospitals and insurers get time to adjust. People get coverage without waiting for Congress to agree on the perfect plan.

I don’t agree with Scott on everything he says, but this one strikes me as both practical and humane. Healthcare as a right, implemented with a plan.

On the NFL Streaming Fragmentation

2025-12-21T15:14:26Z

December 21, 2025

I’m tired of these leagues sprinkling their games across a million different outlets so I have to have a million different subscriptions to watch them all.

jcarucci

It's not just the NFL; it's true for all sports. I used to watch way more sports than I do now because of this very reason.

Get a local 11ty project on GitHub without the command line

2025-12-23T11:25:27Z

December 23, 2025

I like tinkering with 11ty projects for learning and fun. Most of the time I work on them locally, and sometimes I later decide I want the project on GitHub. As someone who isn’t a developer and isn’t comfortable with the command line, I need a different option.

The usual advice looks something like this:

    git init
    git add .
    git commit -m "Initial commit"
    git branch -M main
    git remote add origin https://github.com/USERNAME/REPO.git
    git push -u origin main

That’s fine if you live in the terminal. I don’t.

Here’s what I did instead using GitHub Desktop:

Created a new repository on GitHub with just a README file.
Opened the repository locally using GitHub Desktop, which created a local copy.
Renamed my original project folder and copied all of its files into the new repository folder.
Committed the changes and pushed them to GitHub.

That’s it. No command line.

Link Post: The Case for Blogging in the Ruins

2026-01-06T14:24:32Z

January 06, 2026

Joan Westenberg

Start a blog. Start one because the practice of writing at length, for an audience you respect, about things that matter to you, is itself valuable. Start one because owning your own platform is a form of independence that becomes more important as centralized platforms become less trustworthy. Start one because the format shapes the thought, and this format is good for thinking.

On - Why People Should Not Ask for Donations or Money to Run Their Own Personal Blog

2026-01-15T17:41:30Z

January 15, 2026

Andre Franca,

Why do you run a blog? Is it to make a living, or is it a hobby? If you write from your small corner of the internet for pleasure, to meet new people, or simply for engagement, then you probably shouldn’t ask for money for it. Here's why:

[…]

First, asking for donations creates an implicit transaction, even when framed as "optional". Readers may feel entitled to certain topics, frequency, or opinions.

Second, financial incentives often (if not always) influence behavior. Writers may unconsciously avoid controversial opinions, difficult topics, or experimental ideas out of fear of alienating supporters. This certainly leads to self-censorship, where authenticity is sacrificed in favor of maintaining income. There are many examples of this among content creators out there.

Third, the barrier to entry for blogging has never been lower. Today, there are countless ways to build an online presence, and running a blog can cost little to nothing. When the costs of running a blog are minimal or nonexistent, requesting money becomes harder to justify, especially for a purely personal website.

[…]

Finally, without financial pressure, writers are free to write irregularly, change direction, or even stop altogether. At least, that is how I feel about this blog.

For my own site, I agree in principle.

A personal blog, for me, is my space where I share how I'm using my tech, random thoughts, and the occasional rant. I don't want to feel obligated to produce posts, stick to specific topics, or maintain consistency. Even optional donations can alter that dynamic, at least in my own mind.

Blogging isn't expensive anymore. A domain and basic hosting cost very little, and I'm happy to cover that expense myself.

I appreciate that my blog doesn't have to perform. It doesn't need to grow or justify its existence. It can be valuable to a few people, or just to me.

What are your thoughts?

Today 2026-01-20

2026-01-20T14:26:27Z

January 20, 2026

This morning, after my walk with Trix, I sat down at my MacBook, scanned my RSS feeds, and checked my email. Then I thought, "Now what?" I didn't have any special projects planned, so I decided to fool around with this site.

I have two different designs for it: one based on the 11ty base blog, and another that I built myself, which I'm pretty proud of. I decided to switch from the base blog design to the one I created. After making a few changes and updating the theme, what you're currently seeing is the result.

Hope you like it.

Blogging: No List, No Schedule

2026-01-21T13:34:07Z

January 21, 2026

I have a folder of quotes I've collected over the years. This morning, while reading through a few, one stopped me:

Instead of constantly hunting for blog topics and maintaining a never-ending list of ideas, I'm trying a new approach. Rather than forcing ideas, I'm focusing on writing only about things that genuinely spark my interest. I'll know it's the right topic when I feel a natural urge to share my thoughts. This might mean blogging less, but it could also mean journaling more.

Author unknown

This quote mirrors my own approach to blogging. I don't keep a list of ideas, feel obligated to publish on a schedule, stick to specific topics, or maintain consistency. I write when something resonates with me in a way that feels worth sharing.

Often, my writing begins as a way to think, not necessarily to publish. The act of writing helps me understand the ideas I'm circling around. Sometimes that becomes a post; sometimes it doesn't, and that's fine. Not everything needs to become something.

Life before social media

2026-01-22T10:37:32Z

January 22, 2026

While I was laying down to take a nap today (yes I take a nap every afternoon) I started thinking about what a fucking shit show social media is and how in my opinion it is destroying society.

Social media as we know it today started in 2003 with MySpace and was then overtaken by Facebook and has progressed to what we have today. I was born in 1945, which means I lived the first 58 years of my life without social media. At 81 now, I've had a front-row seat to watch what it's done to society over the past two decades. My introduction to personal computers was in the mid-1980's. I had a Compaq portable that was my work computer and a Commodore 64 that I bought and used at home. I've always been fascinated with computers and considered tinkering with them a hobby that I still enjoy to this day.

People born after 2003 have never known life without social media, which is a shame. Life was so different then, and honestly, simpler in ways that matter.

What We Had Before

Back then, we actually experienced boredom - and that wasn't a bad thing. Waiting in line at the grocery store or sitting in a doctor's office meant your mind wandered. You thought about things, came up with ideas, daydreamed. Now everyone just reflexively grabs their phone the second there's a quiet moment.

If you had a disagreement with someone, you had to work it out face-to-face or over the phone. You couldn't hide behind a screen or fire off a nasty comment and walk away. This meant actual conversations, real conflict resolution, and learning how to regulate your emotions when talking to people.

Your social world was the people physically around you - neighbors, coworkers, friends from local organizations. You invested in your immediate community because those were the relationships that mattered in your daily life. There were no parasocial relationships with strangers halfway across the world.

News came at specific times - the morning paper, the evening broadcast. You could stay informed without being perpetually anxious about every crisis happening everywhere all at once. And here's a big one: privacy was the default. Embarrassing moments, youthful mistakes, stupid things you said - they weren't permanently archived and searchable. People could reinvent themselves, move on from their past, grow without dragging everything behind them forever.

My Commodore 64 and Compaq portable were tools that enhanced what I could do without demanding constant attention or messing with my head. They didn't buzz at me all day or make me feel bad about myself.

The Damage We're Seeing

The mental health crisis, especially among young people, is staggering. Depression and anxiety rates have spiked dramatically since social media became widespread. Constant comparison, cyberbullying, fear of missing out, seeking validation through likes - it's created a generation struggling with basic self-worth.

Truth itself has become slippery. When the business model is engagement over accuracy, misinformation spreads faster than anyone can fact-check it. People end up living in completely separate realities based on whatever their algorithm feeds them.

And let's be honest about what these platforms really are - they're engineered by some of the brightest minds in tech to be addictive. Infinite scroll, variable reward schedules, notification systems - all deliberately designed to hijack our dopamine systems and keep us scrolling. It's not an accident that you can't put your phone down; it's the intended outcome.

The algorithms promote whatever triggers strong emotions because outrage drives engagement. This pushes people toward extreme positions. Nuance and thoughtful discussion die because they're boring, and boring doesn't keep people on the platform.

We've also surrendered an unprecedented amount of privacy. The data harvesting and behavioral manipulation happening behind the scenes is staggering. We've become products being packaged and sold to advertisers.

And now we're seeing particularly disturbing developments like the Grok AI issues on X, where the technology is being used to create non-consensual intimate imagery - including of children and women. This isn't just another social media problem; it's a tool being weaponized for sexual exploitation and harassment. The fact that this technology exists on a platform claiming to champion free speech while enabling the sexual exploitation of children shows just how morally bankrupt things have become.

I'm not saying we need to go back to the Commodore 64 era - technology has brought amazing things too. But social media as it exists today? It's not making us happier, smarter, or more connected. It's doing the opposite, and I think more people are starting to realize it.

Bracing for the big chill

2026-01-24T09:40:29Z

January 24, 2026

It's really fucking cold this morning. The temperature is currently 11 degrees, with a wind chill of -3. A major storm is expected tomorrow, bringing snow, sleet, and ice. We spent yesterday preparing for it. I checked the heating oil, and we have plenty. I'll bring in a good supply of firewood this afternoon.

Winter snow storm update

2026-01-25T15:24:40Z

January 25, 2026

It's snowing and blowing, with a temperature of 24 degrees but a windchill making it feel like 10. We've already accumulated a solid 8 to 10 inches of snow. I've cleared the back porch, the roofs of the shed and chicken coop, and the cars twice already, and I need to do it again. I also used the snowblower to clear some walkways in the yard. So far, we haven't lost power, fingers crossed 🤞.

Not moaning about AI

2026-01-26T15:16:21Z

January 26, 2026

Giles Turnbull

Gemini and other tools like it aren’t intended for me - they’re for people who find writing hard. I find it easy. Of course I’m going to be dismissive, of course I’m going to want it to stop pestering me. Some people will welcome that.[…] So, sure, I don’t value LLM words for my own purposes, but I can see why some people might.

Too Many Options (And Why That's Actually Fine)

2026-01-28T09:17:59Z

January 28, 2026

Devices, apps which should I use, and for what? Do I have to pick one and commit to it? I always feel that pressure. MacBook Pro or iPad? Drafts, Bear, MarkEdit, BBEdit, or iA Writer? Why can't I just use them all?

Here's the thing: I always force myself to stick with a single app, and I constantly struggle with which one it should be. But everything I write blog posts, journal entries, notes ends up exported to markdown files in my archive anyway. That's where it all lives. The apps are just different desks where I sit down to write. Right now, I'm writing this on my MacBook Pro in Bear. I could just as easily be doing it on my iPad, or in iA Writer, or Drafts. But this morning, Bear on the MacBook felt right, so here I am.

I've already solved the real problem, my writing isn't trapped in any app; it all ends up in the same place. So why do I keep asking myself which tool I should commit to? The answer is simple: I don't have to pick one. I can use whatever feels right. I just need to accept that that's okay.

Link post: Does Tim Cook even care about Apple's image anymore?

2026-01-30T10:13:21Z

January 30, 2026

The Macalope

Based on who he likes to hang out with on a Saturday night, one wishes Apple CEO Tim Cook were a bit more of a homebody. The day that ICE agents killed another U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, Cook went to the White House that sent those agents to Minnesota so he could attend the viewing of a weapons-grade hagiography about the First Lady.

This would be the hagiography directed by accused sexual predator Brett Ratner. You have to be a pretty bad person to have X-Men: The Last Stand be low on the list of your offenses.

On plain text files

2026-01-31T10:40:32Z

January 31, 2026

I came across plaintextproject.online and, after reading a few posts, I was reminded why I keep all my writing, journals, notes, and quotes in a repository of markdown files instead of trapping them in a proprietary database app.

Source

On Wasting Time With Apple Shortcuts

2026-02-02T10:43:34Z

February 2, 2026

Today, I spent far too much time fucking with Apple Shortcuts just to do something embarrassingly simple: append the current date and time to a specific Bear note on iPadOS.

After all the time I spent trying, I still didn’t have a working shortcut. Even with help from Claude.

For comparison, I had created the exact same behavior on my Mac using a shell script and Keyboard Maestro. It took about 15 minutes. Here’s the timestamp Apple Shortcuts and I argued over:

#### 02 February 2026 07:03 PM

This is why I will never be iPad-first.

My small protest against Apple

2026-02-04T10:48:30Z

February 4, 2026

I'm not trying to escape Apple I'm staging a protest. A small one, sure, but deliberate. The reasons pile up daily: Apple has quietly transformed from a company that built great tools into one that tightens its grip, nudging users toward subscriptions, lock-in, and manufactured dependency. I still use their products. But what I can do is live more intentionally within the system by:

Using the device with the least amount of lock-in, favoring a Mac over an iPad while accepting the iPhone as unavoidable.
Eliminating subscriptions that quietly feed Apple's money machine.
Using open-source, free, or paid apps.
Keeping my data local instead of defaulting to iCloud whenever possible.

Drafts was my last subscription app, so this morning I set out to eliminate it before its renewal in a few weeks. I successfully replaced it with FSNotes and MarkEdit, both open-source options available for free on GitHub.

This won't change Apple's trajectory. My protest is too small. But that's not the point. The point is refusing to sleepwalk through my own choices, to mistake the path of least resistance for the only path. Every eliminated subscription, every open-source alternative, every piece of data kept local is a reminder that I still have agency that the system's convenience doesn't have to mean my capitulation. It's not about escape. It's about living deliberately, even within the walls someone else built.

Inspired by: Matt Gemmell

It's too cold to go outside, so I learned Python instead

2026-02-07T10:55:23Z

February 7, 2026

On a recent podcast, I heard [Jason Snell(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Snell_(writer)) mention that he had created a simple Python app to automate a task on his Mac. Inspired by that, and since the weather is to fucking cold to be outside, I decided to explore Python and how I could use it to automate some of my own tasks. I've put together three Python scripts that streamline my daily note-taking and journaling workflow. They are simple, automated, and integrate seamlessly with Alfred. Here's what each one does:

Daily Note

The daily_note.py script creates a new note each day in my FSNotes folder. Every time it runs, it appends a timestamp, such as 3:42:36 PM, to the current day's note. This is especially useful for tracking my work or simply noting my activity throughout the day.

The filenames are formatted as 2026-02-07 - Daily Note.md, ensuring a fresh start each day.

Monthly Journal

My monthly_journal.py script works differently. Instead of creating daily files, it generates one journal file per month in my Writing folder. Each time I run the script, it adds a new entry with the full date and time: `#### 01 February 2026 02:14 PM.

The best feature is that it automatically opens the journal in MarkEdit, allowing me to begin writing immediately. It has become my preferred method for monthly reflections and longer-form entries.

FSNotes Empty Trash

The empty_fsnotes_trash.py script performs exactly as its name suggests: it empties the trash folder in FSNotes. Instead of manually searching for deleted notes, running this script instantly clears them. While a small thing, it helps maintain a tidy and organized notes app.

Running Them With Alfred

All of these scripts are located in my ~/scripts folder, and I can execute them quickly using an Alfred workflow.

Troubleshooting FSNotes File Visibility Issues

2026-02-09T10:53:34Z

February 9, 2026

I recently mentioned using FSNotes for note-taking and quick capture. However, I experienced an issue where files would randomly disappear from the user interface, only to reappear after restarting the application. I contacted the developer, who suggested I install the latest version (7.1.1) to see if it resolved the problem. I'm currently testing it.

I'm hoping this fixes the issue because I otherwise like the app as a Drafts replacement. I especially appreciate that it uses markdown files instead of a database, unlike Drafts.

Back to 11ty

2026-02-09T16:16:54Z

February 9, 2026

This morning, I was looking for something to read and browsed the Bearblog discovery feed. While there's a lot of content there, I realized the platform wasn't quite the right fit for my site. So, I've moved back to 11ty and Render.

As I considered the move, I also took stock of my original site's archive. Much of it is outdated, full of dead links, and tied to tools and ideas I've moved past. Rather than carry all of that forward, I decided to retire the original site. ldstephens.net will now use the weblog site I'd been maintaining on the side. It's much simpler and cleaner to maintain and better reflects where I am now.

If you followed via RSS

With redirects set, the old feeds should still work. But just in case, you may want to subscribe to the new feed: https://ldstephens.net/feed.xml

Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for reading.

Why I inlined my CSS in 11ty

2026-02-11T10:53:23Z

February 11, 2026

I recently made a small change to this 11ty site: I moved from external CSS to inlining my stylesheet directly in the HTML. The result? Faster page loads and a simpler deployment process.

I replaced this in my base.njk template:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/css/style.css" />

With this:

<style>
  {% include "../../css/style.css" %}
</style>

That's it. One simple template change that makes every page generated by 11ty include the CSS directly in the <head>.

This site is small, and the CSS is small only 5KB. There’s no real reason to make an extra request for something that rarely changes. Inlining it means faster initial render and one less moving part.

It also simplifies deployment. There’s no separate CSS file to cache, invalidate, or forget to upload. Each page is self contained and ships exactly as it should.

Validating and improving my site's performance

2026-02-14T15:09:11Z

February 14, 2026

A few months back, Nicolas Magand wrote about giving his site the "club racer treatment" — stripping it back to focus on what actually matters. For a blog like his, the driving experience is readability above all else, but he also wanted clean W3C validation and a perfect PageSpeed Insights score. He ended up with a clear priority order:

Driving experience / Readability
Performance / W3C validation & PageSpeed Insights scores

That framing stuck with me: performance in service of the reader, not performance as an end in itself.

Around the same time, I came across James' Coffee Blog, where James announced a handy tool he built called Validate Everything. The concept is simple — paste in a URL and it generates links to a whole suite of validators. It's the kind of tool you didn't know you needed until you have it.

I decided to put this site to the test.

What I Changed

Running through the validators surfaced two areas I wanted to improve:

Inlined styles for performance. Moving styles inline made for faster page loads and a simpler deployment process.

Theme change for readability. The previous theme had some contrast that weren't doing the reading experience any favors. Readability is the whole point, I switched from the dark theme to a simple light theme.

The Results

After making those changes, the numbers came back clean:

PageSpeed Insights — 100 across the board:

100 Performance
100 Accessibility
100 Best Practices
100 SEO

Carbon rating: A+

W3C HTML Validation:

Document checking completed. No errors or warnings to show.

The scores are great. More importantly, the changes make the site better to read and a little quicker to load. That’s the part I care about.

If you haven't tried James' Validate Everything tool yet, it's worth a few minutes with your own site. You might be surprised what turns up.

How to force restart iPhone

2026-02-17T14:38:54Z

February 17, 2026

Apple Support:

If iPhone isn’t responding, and you can’t turn it off then on, try forcing it to restart.

Press and quickly release the volume up button.

Press and quickly release the volume down button.

Press and hold the side button.

When the Apple logo appears, release the side button.

John Gruber

Switch between open windows in an application

2026-02-17T16:30:07Z

February 17, 2026

I've often wondered if there was a way to switch between windows within the same application without using the Window menu. Fortunately, I just learned that there is!

Thanks to Mac Geek Gab 1129 Quick Tip, I learned that you can use the keyboard shortcut Command + ` (command+backtick) to switch between open windows in an application.

Flaws in popular VSCode extensions expose developers to attacks

2026-02-20T08:53:26Z

February 20, 2026

The security issues impact Live Server (CVE-2025-65715), Code Runner (CVE-2025-65716), Markdown Preview Enhanced (CVE-2025-65717), and Microsoft Live Preview (no identifier assigned).[…] Also, it is advisable to remove unnecessary extensions and only install those from reputable publishers, while monitoring for unexpected setting changes.

I had Live Server and Markdown Preview Enhanced installed, but since I don't use them, I uninstalled them along with a few other extensions that I don't use.

Bleeping Computer

A Major Winter Storm is En Route

2026-02-21T16:17:57Z

February 21, 2026

Fun, fun, fun! For the first time in over a month, the snow has melted enough that I can actually see the yard. Now, we're getting another storm.

A powerful nor'easter is heading toward New Jersey, and my town is right in its path. The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning as well.

Tomorrow, Sunday, will start with rain, but it's expected to switch to snow by mid-morning. The worst conditions are forecast for Sunday night into Monday morning, when heavy snow and strong winds could reduce visibility to near zero. By Monday afternoon, the heaviest snow should begin to taper off, but gusty winds are expected to continue, causing drifting snow.

Current estimates are for 6–10 inches of snow, with some spots reaching 12 inches, and wind gusts of 30–40 mph. The Blizzard Warning is in effect from 10:00 AM Sunday through 6:00 PM Monday, with possible whiteout conditions.

This looks like a pretty serious storm, so I spent the day getting prepared.

I Rent My Entire Life

2026-02-22T10:56:58Z

February 22, 2026

I came across this piece by Greg Morris today and it's been rattling around in my head ever since. It's about something most of us don't think about until it's too late the fact that almost nothing in our digital lives is truly ours anymore. Music, photos, software, writing it's all rented. Give it a read.

Carrot Weather has added The Weather Channel as a data source

2026-02-25T09:02:33Z

February 25, 2026

Last October, I wrote about Carrot Weather's limited data sources. In that post, I mentioned my love for Carrot Weather, but noted that the available weather sources weren't accurate for central New Jersey, and that The Weather Channel and Weatherbit were the most reliable sources for my region. I was even considering not renewing my subscription, but ultimately decided to do so.

The developer of Carrot Weather had been hinting at an update for the last few days, so I checked for it this morning. To my great joy, version 6.4 now includes The Weather Channel as a data source, giving me both the best weather app and the most accurate weather data.

Speaking of the weather, the Blizzard of 2026, as we're calling it, dumped close to 30 inches of snow on us Sunday and Monday.

Quoting Riccardo Mori

2026-02-26T09:02:15Z

February 26, 2026

I ask myself more questions. What can this new update do for me? Is there anything that the previous iteration can’t keep doing? No? Then what’s the point of upgrading? Does this app have some groundbreaking feature I was really looking for or missing from my tools that makes it worthwhile to start a subscription and rent software I’d really prefer purchasing? No? Then I don’t need this app.

[…]

Today more than ever, technology wants to put you in a river where you flow from update to update unquestioningly; a river where you keep flowing forward because the ‘new’ is always better than the ‘old’. I went along with this until it stopped ringing true. Today more than ever, technology and tech companies feel like entities that don’t work for us and don’t have our interests at heart; they just want us to depend on them utterly and continually. So I have to look out for my needs.

[…]

Put yourself and your needs first. Anything that works against that is not worth your time, energy, money, or obsession over it.

Riccardo Mori

Using Claude to automate markdown front matter updates

2026-03-01T10:42:32Z

March 1, 2026

The ldstephens.net site was migrated from WordPress using the 11ty Base Blog and the WordPress import plugin. While I initially used the base blog, I've since replaced it with my own custom 11ty build.

With around 50 markdown files exported from WordPress, that I wanted to add to this site, I needed to transform their front matter into a new format compatible with the 11ty site. Instead of manually editing each file, I used Claude to automate the process.

The Problem

The exported files had front matter that looked like this:

---
title: 12 Months with the iPad Mini
authors:
   - name: ldstephens
     url: https://gravatar.com/ldstephensblog
date: 2024-01-23T15:30:32.000Z
metadata:
   categories:
      - Apple
      - iPad
   tags: []
   uuid: 11ty/import::wordpressapi-hosted::...
   type: wordpressapi-hosted
   url: http://ldstephens.net/2024/01/23/...
---

I needed it transformed to a clean Eleventy-compatible format:

---
title: 12 Months with the iPad Mini
description:
date: 2024-01-23T15:30:32.000Z
tags:
   - posts
layout: layouts/post.njk
---
January 23, 2024

The requirements were:

Keep the original title and date
Remove authors, metadata, and all other fields
Add description (empty), tags: [posts], and layout: layouts/post.njk
Add the date as a human-readable line at the top of the post body (e.g. January 23, 2024)
Handle files that already had the correct front matter — those just needed the date added to the body

What Claude Did

Claude wrote a Python script that processes an entire folder of markdown files automatically. The script handles three scenarios:

Old format — transforms the front matter and adds the human-readable date to the body
Already correct format — leaves the front matter untouched and just adds the date to the body
Already processed — skips the file entirely, making the script safe to re-run

The script gives clear output as it runs, telling you exactly what it did to each file.

Running the Script

With the script saved to ~/scripts/ and the posts in ~/2024_ldstephensnet/, the command was simply:

python3 ~/scripts/transform_posts.py ~/2024_ldstephensnet

Takeaway

What would have been a tedious, error-prone manual task across 50+ files was solved with a short conversation and a Python script. Claude was able to understand the before/after requirements from a single example, handle edge cases like already-updated files, and deliver a script that worked correctly.

11ty pauses its rebrand Kickstarter

2026-03-06T14:49:47Z

March 6, 2026

Font Awesome

Kickstarter campaigns live and die by momentum in the first 48 hours, and ours ran out of steam before most of our audience even knew it existed. Yes. We hit our initial goal, but if we can't email folks for the rest of the month, we're dead in the water. So we've made the tough decision to pause the campaign.[…] One thing we want to be clearer about in the relaunch: Build Awesome (née Eleventy) will always be free and open source. Always. Part of what this Kickstarter funds is the long-term health and sustainability of that open source project.[…] We're going to spend a little bit of time cleaning up our email infrastructure, making sure things are healthy, and will relaunch when our systems are humming.

The 11ty Kickstarter launched under Font Awesome's new "Build Awesome" brand and paused within hours, citing an email distribution failure.

The name "11ty" carries a lot of indie-web credibility. "Build Awesome" sounds like a corporate slogan. Many in the community felt that tucking 11ty into the "Awesome" brand alongside Web Awesome was sacrificing the project's quirky identity to fit a product suite. The backlash is real and underneath the brand complaints is a more practical worry: what does this mean for my 11ty site? Is it still the same independent project, or is it now just a feature in someone's SaaS roadmap?

When a high-profile creator cancels a Kickstarter over "technical issues," it usually goes one of two ways:

1. The Hard Pivot -- They realize the community backlash was worse than expected and use the technical excuse as a graceful exit to rethink the whole thing.

2. The Re-launch -- They fix the pipes, issue a humble apology, and try again.

I'm betting on the hard pivot, the email thing feels like a convenient out.

Cleaning up after winter

2026-03-08T10:51:06Z

March 8, 2026

Most of the snow has finally melted. From January until just a couple of days ago we had several inches on the ground. Now it's mud season, but I can finally get outside and start dealing with the storm and snowplow damage.

Most of it is broken limbs around the property and the driveway getting chewed up by the plow. The driveway is dirt and gravel — about 200 yards from the street to where we park. Yesterday I tackled the area near the vehicles. Tomorrow I'll finish the rest of the driveway, then head out back to assess the woods. We've got about 10 acres with a cart path through it, and I have no idea yet what kind of mess is waiting for me back there.

We're supposed to have some spring-like weather this week, so I hope to get a lot done.

On - HoudahSpot + Finder is All the File Management You Actually Need

2026-03-11T15:13:23Z

March 11, 2026

Houdah Blog

HoudahSpot was never designed to replace Finder. It was designed to do the one thing Finder search can’t do well: let you find files using precise, composable criteria.[…] When trying to wrangle a large number of files, Finder keeps you searching and guessing. HoudahSpot, on the other hand, helps you interactively refine your searches until you zero in on the files you need.[…] The reason this pairing works so well is that HoudahSpot and Finder do different things. Finder handles navigation, copy/move, renaming, previews. HoudahSpot handles finding.

Since purchasing HoudahSpot 5 years ago, I've done all my file searching with it. I don't even bother using Finder anymore. I have templates set up for my most frequently searched locations, which makes it searching really easy. One thing I really appreciate is that HoudahSpot searches both titles and content.

HoudahSpot is Mac only and available at https://www.houdah.com/houdahSpot/ with a free trial.

Keyboards

2026-03-12T15:35:24Z

March 12, 2026

I've noticed that I type faster and more accurately on my 11" iPad Magic Keyboard than on my MacBook Pro's full-size keyboard when I occasionally write blog posts on my 11" M2 iPad Air.

My fingers are on the shorter side, and the smaller keyboard just fits my hands better. I can easily reach every key on the 11" iPad keyboard. However, on the MacBook Pro keyboard, I have to stretch slightly to reach the middle keys on the top and bottom rows.

When typing on the MacBook, I can feel that slight reach. But on the 11-inch keyboard, every key falls right under my fingers, making typing noticeably easier.

Unfortunately, I'm just not much of an iPad user. But when it comes to typing comfort, the smaller keyboard is the clear winner.

ldstephens weblog

File Quick View with Alfred

Step count in the Health app not matching the step count in the Activity app

GoodLinks for read-it-later

Maestral: An open-source Dropbox client for Mac

The backbone of my Mac Alfred 5

iCreep

How many computers do I need?

A shoutout to 7 years of Fastmail the perfect Gmail replacement

How to create Custom Actions in Goodlinks

My Everyday Essentials: Alfred, Drafts, and PopClip the Backbone of My Workflow

How Devonthink found the files Finder couldn't

How to change font size for individual apps on iPhone and iPad

xSearch - A Safari extension for improved searching on iPhone and iPad

Reclaim iCloud storage by deleting iCloud backups for devices that you no longer possess

How to Use Fastmail's Auto-Purge Folders

App-solutely wishy-washy

My default apps - 2024 version

File over app

From Floppies to iPhones: My 40-Year Love Affair with Technology and It's Not Over Yet!

Why I chose NetNewsWire over Reeder for RSS

How to see the Today View in Apple's Reminders sorted by Lists

Can't quit Alfred? Me neither! But I use these Raycast extensions

Another and another and another look at Obsidian

So you’re monetizing your blog

Perspectives on indie blog monetization

My iPhone Home Screen: One Page Does It All

Update: My iPhone Home Screen One Page Does It All

GoodLinks to iA Writer Custom Actions

Social Media

Advice on Blogging

RSS Versus Bookmarks

Blogging Challenges - Are They Really Worth It?

Blogging - Eliminating Distractions

15 blogging rules

Who am I responsible to here?

Write Like You Talk

Re - On personal websites and social web

Re - How I find interesting blogs

On Don't Make a Blog, Make a Brain Dump

“Unplatform” a guidebook for escaping social media

How I use AI for writing and coding

Re - No, The People Didn’t Vote For This

Quoting Tracy Durnell

Kindle Paperwhite’s annoying flashes

Platforms own you, not vice versa

Why write when no one’s reading?

Quoting Zsolt Benke

Quoting Barry Hess

This makes my fucking blood boil!

Quoting Jack Baty

Quoting Juha-Matti Santala

Cleaning up my 11ty project repository

Text editors

My on going 11ty learning curve

11ty blog post workflow

The future of the iPad

New desk chair

Link Post - You should blog

Link post - An investment in your health…

Automating 11ty backups with a shell script and Keyboard Maestro

Search

Link Post: RFK Jr.’s CDC Panel Ditches Some Flu Shots Based on Anti-Vaccine Junk Data

Run-Walk-Run

Link post: I don’t want your email

Anti-Vaxx Stupidity: U.S. measles cases hit highest level in 33 years

Why Am I Still Listening?

Fiddling with my blogs today

On The Weird Web

There’s no fucking cure for stupid

Analytics

Link post: This is your reminder that…

Quoting Dave Pell

New Look

August 24, 2025, at 3:20:03 PM

Carrot Weather’s limited weather sources

Updated design

Hobbies

More design updates

A Practical Path to Universal Healthcare

August 24, 2025, at 3:20:03 PM