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Harper Grammar Checker
I discovered Harper the other day. Harper is a free grammar checking tool that is completely private and works directly on your device. It has a Chrome extension, Obsidian Plugin, Visual Studio Code plugin and is 100% open source. I also just discovered Harper was acquired by Automatic last year. Continue reading →
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I started using Drafts Pro again on iOS. It is a quick way for me to capture anything and then send it to wherever it needs to go.
I use it to capture tasks into TeuxDeux and also send posts and bookmarks to Micro.blog.
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I updated the key caps on my Keychain Q1 Max keyboard today. I went for a classy lower-profile black-and-white look.
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Test your color contrast
Color Contract Ratio Thresholds A free tool to check color contrast for applications. I just used it to tweak my blog’s colors for better accessibility. Continue reading →
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Playing with Obsidian (again)
I’m playing around with Obsidian again. I like the idea of having all my notes and content as local text files, following the File Over App philosophy. Some things I noticed when I booted up Obsidian again with the latest updates: Web viewer Web viewer is a new core plugin that lets you browse the web from within Obsidian. So far, I’ve found it useful to bookmark Kagi for internet searches and the Micro. Continue reading →
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iPad Mini Keyboard Case
In an effort to utilize my iPad mini more for writing and note-taking, I purchased a simple keyboard case for it. The keyboard works well, but I need to slightly scrunch my fingers together, and it takes some getting used to. I also need to learn some keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard itself attaches magnetically, making it easy to remove from the screen when I want to read. It also has backlighting. Continue reading →
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I discovered in iOS 26 developer beta you can swipe down from the top of the screen in any app to get a full menu bar, just like you would see in macOS.
This is quite handy as it lets you quickly get to hidden settings, features, and see keyboard shortcuts at a glance.
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Each year, I revert to Apple’s default apps (Mail, Calendar, Reminders, Notes) with new developer betas to see if they suit my workflow. This year is no different. Let’s see how long I stick with them before switching again. :)
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My new iPad Mini
I’ve experimented with many e-ink devices over the past few years, hoping to find a device that could help reduce distractions and make it easier to read books and online articles. Some even had note-taking capabilities that I swore would “change my life.” Every one of them has failed me (or perhaps I should say, I failed them). My Journey Through Devices My first e-ink device was the Amazon Kindle. I don’t remember which version, but I’ve almost always had the most recent Paperwhite. Continue reading →
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“And if the robots don’t rise up, if our creations don’t come to life and take the power we have used so badly for so long away from us, who will? What we fear isn’t that AI will destroy us—we fear it won’t. We fear we will continue to degrade life on this planet until we destroy ourselves.” (Ray Nayler, The Mountain in the Sea)
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Boox Go Color 7
A few days ago, my Boox Go Color 7 arrived. Yes, I did just start using a Kobo Clara, which I wrote about here. The main reason I wanted to try the Boox is that I can run any Android app on it. This means Readwise, Kindle, Kobo, Libby, and even Micro.blog. It took me a couple of weeks to make the decision to even try the Boox. I had the device in my cart several times, then removed it, then added it back later. Continue reading →
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Starting 2025 with the Reflect notes app
On the surface, Reflect is as simple as it gets. When I open the app, I’m right on my daily note, when starting a new note, I get a blank screen. No toolbars, no bright shiny Share buttons, no distractions. Under the covers, there is a lot to like: End-to-end encryption Markdown support Keyboard shortcuts Backlinks Image and PDF OCR A simple tasks interface Voice note transcription Built-in AI (OpenAI or Anthropic) for manipulating text, creating custom prompts, or even chatting with AI about selected notes Readwise (or direct Kindle) sync Import and export of notes in Markdown and other formats Reflect feels like writing in the default notepad app on my OS, but with superpowers. Continue reading →
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AI, in its current state, is a rubber duck
I was listening to Scott Hanselman’s Hanselminutes podcast with guest Maggie Appleton, and they were talking about AI. I agree with the discussion that LLMs (AI), in their current state, are best used for rubber ducking. What is rubber ducking? It’s a term often used by developers where the idea is that you have a rubber duck on your desk that you talk through a problem with. You don’t necessarily need another person for this; often, you need to talk through the problem with yourself in order to discover the answer. Continue reading →
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Whoop AI
I’ve been using the Whoop band for a couple of months now. My main reason for using Whoop is that I can wear it on my bicep and forget about it. Then, I get all kinds of data that I can use to improve my health. I love data. But I hate digging for it. One of the cool features is the use of AI within the Whoop app. With access to all of your data, the Whoop AI can tell you what you “should” be doing and give you better answers about what you did and how it impacts your health. Continue reading →
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Obsidian Web Clipper works on iOS
I just discovered that the Obsidian Web Clipper also works on iOS! I’ll need to use Safari since it’s a Safari extension, but that’s okay. I struggled with importing my settings. I had to import each template manually, and configuring the Interpreter was a bit of a pain, but it works! Continue reading →
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Default Apps 2024
Inspired by the Hemispheric Views podcast, here is my annual list of Default Apps for 2024. My list seems pretty boring (to me). It’s changed a good deal over the year, but this is what I’m currently using and what seems to be sticking with me for now. 📨 Mail Client: Hey 1 📮 Mail Server: Hey 1 📝 Notes: Obsidian 2 ✅ To-Do: Things 3 iOS 📷 iPhone Photo Shooting: Default camera app. Continue reading →
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One of my goals over the next couple of weeks, while I’m off work, is to move all of my notes from various places into Obsidian.
Somehow, I get notes scattered all over we then place in various apps. I need to move them and cut out these other apps from my system.
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Microsoft Copilot experiment: Day 2
I’ve been trying Microsoft Copilot for the past couple of days. I’ve been jumping around between Perplexity, Kagi Assistant, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Google’s Gemini trying to better understand which may work best for me long-term. Copilot was recently updated with a simple and friendly UI. It’s nice to use. However, I don’t see any advanced features that power users will certainly want in their AI assistant. No projects, prompt configuration, no option to switch LLMs. Continue reading →
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I finally installed the iOS 18 beta. I hear battery is decent and it’s pretty stable. Frankly, I’m surprised I waited so long. I usually jump right on the betas.
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I moved our company development Wiki from Azure DevOps into Obsidian Publish. With local markdown and one-click publishing, it’s been the solution that stuck with us. My company gladly paid for the commercial license and the Publish service.
