2023.09.DisappearingMoment
I’ve been publishing this monthly newsletter for almost three years. To this point, I’ve never missed one of my self-imposed deadlines by more than a few hours. This issue is over a week late.
I'm sorry it's late, and I'm sorry that I’ve decided not to worry about it. Some months fit my newsletter format better than others. Some months take longer to process. I don’t have much to say about visiting Valencia, my beard, our bathroom renovation, or our niece moving out. Some of these topics may show up in future newsletters.
What I want to talk about this month is the things I was wrong about in past months. I don’t want any more time to pass without correcting the record.
All my corrections are in the Nerdy Software category. I stand by my other recommendations, even if some of them are obsolete. (For instance, my Coros watch recommendation supersedes my recommendation for the Nokia watch.)
My most important correction regards Brave. I no longer use its browser or search engine. To quote Rohan Kumar’s post on search engines:
I can’t in good conscience recommend using Brave Search, as the company runs cryptocurrency, has held payments to creators without disclosing that creators couldn’t receive rewards, has made dangerously misleading claims about fingerprinting resistance, is run by a CEO who spent thousands of dollars opposing gay marriage, and has rewritten typed URLs with affiliate links.
I complement Firefox with the Vivaldi browser (see below). I use Ecosia for search.
Apple bought Dark Sky and integrated some of its features into its Weather app. That’s my primary source for predictions. I also like Merry Sky, which copies the Dark Sky interface.
I no longer use TickTick for my To Do list. For the last year or so, I’ve been using paper and pen. I find it useful to switch between analog and digital every few years.
As I implied in my Simplenote review, I use it in place of Obsidian. The main problem: Automattic may stop supporting Simplenote. While I still use it, I’m looking for alternatives. If you have a suggestion, please let me know.
Welcome to September 2023’s Disappearing Moment, an inventory of my experiences. I hope you enjoy it.
Podcasts
Alan Thrall’s YouTube Channel (I Loved It): Good advice on getting stronger and taking care of yourself. Alan is funny, generous, humble, empirical, and contrarian.
Nerdy Software
Like Brave’s browser, Vivaldi uses the Chrome codebase. Unlike Chrome and Brave, it isn’t made by dickwads. So far as I can tell.
Bougie Products
The whole face regimen thing intimidated me. Riversol makes it feel accessible. Plus it’s concentrated, so not all that expensive per day.
Personal Finance and Investing
Not buying stuff got easier once I understood hedonic adaptation.
Reading
Russell Carleton, The New Ballgame (2023) (Worth My Time): Withdrawal from my baseball addiction ended years ago. While this book didn’t rekindle anything, I liked reading about what I’ve missed.
How (Not) to Communicate Like I Do(n’t)
Set to “A Different Kind of Tension” (original lyrics)
- Keep your own counsel
- Say what you’re thinking
- Express your wishes
- Want the wrong thing
- Defend yourself or others from inaccurate accusations
- Fail to stick up for yourself or others
- Behave morally
- Behave amorally
- Make eye contact
- Fail to make eye contact
- Speak quietly
- Speak loudly
- Mumble
- Enunciate
- Ask
- Don’t ask
- Make jokes
- Be serious
- Provide context
- Fail to provide context
- Tell a story
- Stick to the facts
- Be concise
- Be discursive
- Organize your ideas before you open your mouth
- Be genuine
Thanks for spending a few moments with me. I look forward to corresponding again next month.
Brett
No large language models were used in the production of the Disappearing Moment newsletter or website (inspired by RFC 9518 Appendix A ¶ 4 and Tantek Çelik).