Good Stuff
- I purchased a (cheaper and slower) Satechi USB-C enclosure šļø, and a 4 TB SSD šļø.
- Then I moved the old 2 TB SSD over to the slower USB-C enclosure,
- and slipped the new 4 TB drive into the faster Thunderbolt enclosure.
- Itās simply the best Markdown editing experience I know of. (And Iāve tried a lot.) Only Bear comes close.
- And itās excellent both on Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
- Itās very minimalistic (just opens as a blank, white āsheet of paperā).
- At the same time, it has a bunch of hidden advanced features and customisation options.
- Itās a file-based editor, as opposed to being library-based.
- One good thing about this, is that it can be used in conjunction with other Markdown apps,
- like using it as a nicer editor for notes stored in NotePlan, Obsidian, etc.
- Be effortless to use (and relatively easy to adjust)
- Both provide a good experience with simple switches, and with dimmers.
- Working with different brands of switches and bulbs.
- Keep everything in HomeKit.2
- Glow (warmest)
- Cream
- Glass (coldest)
- From the night before š: Glow
- 1 hour after sunrise ā : Cream
- 3 hours after sunrise āļø: Glass
- 3 hours before sunset š„ļø: Cream
- 1 hour after sunset š: Glow
- templates (with Javascript support!),
- backlinks,
- embedded images,
- code syntax highlighting,
- foldable headers and list items,
- synced lines,
- (light) front-matter support,
- voice notes,
- sketching and hand-writing transcripts,
- sharing live links to notes with others, and more.
Raycast for iOS Is Out
A Companion to My Favourite Mac Launcher
Raycast šļø is one of my favourite parts about using a Mac. Itās a great launcher, that I also use for snippets, window management, searching, setting a bunch of hotkeys (like for shortcuts), and more. Itās also my main window to AI tools, and the only AI subscription I have.
Iām working on a full post on how I use Raycast ā but now I just wanted to share that the iOS version is out.
Obviously, very limited (thanks Apple)
Most of what Raycast does on the Mac is, obviously, not even close to allowed on iOS. So this new app is mostly just a companion for the Mac app.
Raycast did a large overhaul of their notes feature in november ā and if youāre a user of this (which Iām not) having access to them on mobile is nice.
You also get access to your snippets and āquick linksā (which I donāt use either).
But the thing Iāll use the iOS app for, is access to my AI chats. Not only does it sync the conversations from the Mac, Iāll also be able to use all the premium models Iām paying for. This greatly increases the value of my Raycast subscription.
As I donāt pay directly to any AI vendor, Iāve been using only free options on mobile. I donāt use AI chat that much, and even less on mobile, so Iāve been content enough with Mistralās Le Chat.1 But having access to all of Raycast is a large upgrade here.
I Had to Expand the External Storage on My Secondary Mac Mini
I first wrote about this Mac and its setup here ā and then I have an update here. However, quite quickly, I learned that the 2 TB of storage I had purchased wasnāt enough.
The main culprit is Time Machine ā and while I could probably do something to minimise the usage, backing up my wifeās MacBook Air (512 GB) and my MacBook Pro (512 GB) currently takes up about 1.1 TB.
I was considering upgrading the internal storage on the Mac, as more and more options for this gets released. However, none of my use-cases for storage benefits from being internal ā so I did something else.
New hardware
So, I previously only had a 2 TB SSD šļø in a Satechi Thunderbolt enclosure šļø. And hereās what I did:
āļø How, and Why, I Use Micro.blog
A friend of mine, Simen (who has a nice, Norwegian blog), asked me about Micro.blog. Thatās where this blog is hosted, and is also a social medium of sorts.
His questions
First, I want to give quick answers to the questions he had ā and then go into more detail on how Iāve set things up.
1) āWhich tier do you use, and why?"
Micro.blog has several tiers:
When I signed up, they only had the $5/month and $10/month plans. And I donāt quite remember what made me require the Premium plan ā but things has been restructured now, so I could probably make do with one plan lower. If my friend wants to move to Micro.blog, we could go for a Family plan. š«¶š»
I donāt find any value in things like notes and bookmarking, as Iād much rather use dedicated tools for this. I also donāt really use the newsletter feature ā so I canāt really comment on that.
2) āWhich features do you appreciate the most?"
I like the cross-posting features and robust ActivityPub support. For instance, the comment feature here is neat:
I also like that there are great option for third-party apps for publishing, like Ulysses, Drafts, and MarsEdit.
And I find that the platform has a good balance between being easy enough to use, while also being powerful and flexible enough to form into what I need. An example of the contrary was how I couldnāt find a way to have WordPress have a front-page with the start of my blog posts like I have now. (Iāll go into how Iām doing that later.)
3) āHow is it different from the alternatives?"
Before I tried WordPress, my blog was on Write.as. However, that was too simple, and not expandable enough. With Micro.blog I can freely add features via Javascript, for instance. (Examples below.) And it also has a plug-in system (even though itās far from as powerful as WordPress in that regard).
I know that Simen uses Quartz, which I also use for my bandās website. This is a nice static site generator where you, for instance, can simply āpushā an Obsidian vault. However, this doesnāt have integrated newsletter support, doesnāt support ActivityPub, and doesnāt have cross-posting (among other things).
4) Whatās missing? Or is too clunky?
One thing Quartz is better suited for, though, is digital gardens. Micro.blog is absolutely built around traditional, chronological blogging.
I also find uploads to be very clunky, when I donāt do it through Shortcuts. I can only upload one file at the time ā and thereās no way, even in the ā¦ menu, to copy just the URL to the file. (I have to carve it out from the HTML or Markdown.) šš»
The ActivityPub posts that Micro.blog push, for the long-form posts, are also very lacklustre, IMO. Just the title, and link to the post:
And I donāt like the social media part of the service ā which Iāll get into next.
However, Iām generally delighted with the place Iāve gotten this blog!
My use, and how I got there
Quick Recommendation #8: Initial D
Drifting Anime, That Drips With Style
Iām not the biggest car-guy, even though I do enjoy a bit of car-YouTube from time to time.1 But I just love the anime Initial D.
The cars they drive remind me of my first real racing game: Gran Turismo on the first Playstation. And it has cemented owning a car with pop-up headlights on my bucket list.
The show has lots of intense racing scenes, backed up by an insane eurobeat soundtrack. Trust me ā it works.
Hereās the basic setting:
Takumi Fujiwara is a teenager that works part-time for his fatherās Tofu shop ā making deliveries in the early morning. His father, Bunta, is an old street racer, and while Takumi hasnāt inherited his interest, he has inherited his talent. And being a lazy teenager, who wants to get done quickly with his work, he simply started driving faster and faster.
He drives an old, but well-tuned, Toyota Corolla ā and him getting laughed at for driving a car like that, with the name of the tofu shop on the side, is part of the charm.
How to watch
Milestone Achieved: Linked to on a Podcast I Like
And a Guide to Pronunciation of My Name
One of my favourite tech podcasts, is Comfort Zone. Itās hosted by Christopher Lawley, NilĆ©ane Dorffer, and Matt Birchler, and is simply a pretty chill time with neat people.
Last week they asked for listener input, so I sent them a relevant blog post ā and I got a little shoutout. āŗļø
Iām thoroughly in the writing into the void phase of blogging. So every share, mention, and email really means a lot.1
My name(s)
Matt made a valiant effort to pronounce my weird Norwegian name ā but obviously failed spectacularly. So I thought Iād use this occasion to provide a little guide!
My name is Erlend. The d is always silent ā but for some Norwegian dialects, the r is silent as well. And for English speakers, this is my recommendation.
Then you pronounce it like the name āAllenā, but slower: Alen
However, if you have rās like me, or the French, you can pronounce it like this: Erlend
Oh, and then thereās my blog. The name Havn is Norwegian for harbour. The a is like the a in ācarā: Havn
Go and give the podcast a listen! The banter is good, and they have interesting challenges every week.
Furthermore: Share and/or email a small blogger this week. š«¶š» Itās lovely when the void answers ā and many of us donāt get any help from algorithms.
A (New-ish) Game for Lovers of Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Do you, like me, get warm and fuzzy feelings from this sound?
My Heroes of Might and Magic journey started with HOMM 2 šļø ā but Iāve probably spent the most time with HOMM 3 šļø.
I still play it from time-to-time, but Iām also always interested in modern takes on the formula.
One I like, is Heroās Hour šļø (currently 55% off!). Here the world map portion is very similar to HOMM, while the combat is more of a free-flowing auto-battler.1
But my favourite is Songs of Conquest,
and itās currently 72% off on GOG šļø!2 Itās also available for iOS (both iPhone and iPad!) ā but I havenāt tried that version myself.
Quick Recommendation #6: Arco (video game)
Original, Tactical, Recreational
Last year, Panic published a terrific indie game Iād like to recommend: Arco. Iāve only played the first two acts, but I like it a lot so far.
It has great pixel art, music, writing, and story.
It also has a genuinely innovative turn-based combat, and guilt system, which makes in-game choices interesting.
Itās available on PC, Mac, and Switch. Iām playing it on Mac, with a controller ā and it works flawlessly. (If you want to get it for desktop, I recommend getting it through Epic, as the dev gets a larger piece of the pie.)
Click here to see all my quick recommendations!
App review: Tot
Yesterday, I wrote about Iconfactoryās newest app, Tapestry. Today, I want to do a little review of another great app of theirs, Tot.
āYour tiny text companionā
Tot is a scratchpad app, for fleeting notes. It was inspired by Tyke, which explains the need for this well:
I made Tyke because when Iām working I often need a little bit of scratch paper to jot something down.
Sometimes itās because I need to paste it someplace or other times itās because I just want to clear the formatting and edit it.
I used to use a new text editor window for that job. Now I donāt have to.
I use Tot for things like writing down everyoneās take-away orders. I also use it when I need to keep some text in a small Mac window that stays on top, or small pieces of info I might want to look up from time-to-time.1
The business model is also both clever and fair: Itās totally free on Mac, and then you pay once for iOS (ā¬20) and Apple Watch (ā¬2).
My favourite part of it, is that it allows you to store 7 notes. Itās more than 1, but still limited. You swipe between them, and they are beautifully colour coded.2 This makes it so you donāt fall into the trap of wanting to name your notes, or keep them forever. Youāre supposed to move on.
These 7 notes are synced between Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with great apps for each.
Purposeful limitations
Quick Recommendation #5: The Mad Max Video Game
Itās not often I finish video gamesā¦ One of the reasons, is that I often play games you canāt finish ā like Europa Universalis and The Bazaar šļø. But I actually just finished, an r/patientgamers favourite: the Mad Max game, from 2015.
And itās actually at 80% off on GOG at the moment!
Itās not a fantastic game ā but if you like Mad Max (like me), I can recommend it. I saw someone on Reddit call it āthe perfect mid-budget gameā, and I agree.
Itās an open-world game, with a world of great flavour. The car-combat is especially good and unique.
But one piece of advice, if you decide to check it out: Exploring the open world gets quite repetitive ā so itās not worth it to approach the game with a completionistās mindset. Just treat it as a bite-sized little treat, and do the stuff you find fun and run through the story. If you buy it for like ā¬4, just try to get that amount of moneyās worth.
I played in through Steam, and on my Mac Mini. It says itās not available for Mac, but installing it still works, for some reason. (Not 100% sure about the GOG version, though.)
Quick Recommendation #4: Ultima Retrospective (YouTube)
I have no prior nostalgia for the CRPG series Ultima. Iāve always known about the series, but never played any of the games. Still, Iāve loved a series by the YouTube channel Majuular: Ultima Retrospective
The videos are long ā but well-made, with a combination of story behind the development and reception, plus a complete run-down of the gameplay and story. Itās also not done, so I assume thereāll be more content down the line! (You know, if youāre done with the 14 hours made up until now.)
Hurrah: My Favourite Markdown Editor Just Dropped on Setapp
The magnificent Markdown editor Paper just became available on Setapp šļø, making it more accessible for more people to try out! Iāve written a thorough review of it previously, but here are the things you need to know:
So, I wouldnāt primarily say itās a ānotes appā. Itās more of a āwriting appā and āMarkdown editorā. You could, of course, use it as a notes app ā but then you have to rely on Finder/Files and x-callback-URLs for the organisation.
I highly recommend giving it a go, and play with the settings to make it behave like you want! Perhaps my favourite feature, is the combined Typewriter Mode and Focus Mode:
More on Using a Mac Mini as a Secondary Computer
Remote Access, RSS, and Storage and Backups
Last November, I started using an M4 Mac Mini as a secondary computer. Iām still pleased with it! And I wanted to provide a little update with some more things Iāve learned.
Remote access
Using the Mini, has been pretty simple. Iāll usually use Continuity, via my MacBook or iPad, if the TV the Mini is connected to is on. And Iāll use Screen Sharing if not.1 (I can recommend keeping something like an integrated keyboard and trackpad nearby, if you have the space ā which I donāt.)
But Iāve also figured out something else! And I get that this is very basic for many of you, but probably not for all.
On the Mini, Iāve gone into System Settings ā General ā Sharing ā Advanced ā Remote Login, and turnet it on. Now I can paste in something like this, in my Macbookās terminal: ssh erlend@192.168.12.34
The terminal instance, on the MacBook, will now be like if I was running it locally on the Mini. This allows me to reduce the number of times I have to control the Mini directly ā as itās nicer to just use the MacBook.
I also think this is an important setting ā even though itās not as secure:
This means you canāt have FileVault turned on ā but it makes it so the Mac will log in (and start all login items) on a restart. This is important to keep services running ā but if thereās another (more secure) way of doing this, Iām interested in hearing about it.
RSS
Sharing an Open Letter to Mark Zuckerberg
From Pixelfed ā an Open Alternative to Instagram
Link to the post.
Dear Mark,
I hope this finds you well. I noticed something interesting today - it seems Instagram is blocking links to my little open-source project. You know, the one that lets people share photos without harvesting their personal data or forcing algorithmic feeds on them.
I have to admit, Iām flattered. Who wouldāve thought a small team of volunteers could build something that would catch your attention? Weāre just trying to give people a choice in how they share their memories online. No VCs, no surveillance capitalism, just code and community.
Remember when Facebook started? It was about connecting people, not maximizing engagement metrics. Our project might be tiny compared to Instagram, but weāre staying true to that original spirit of social media - giving people control over their online presence without turning them into products.
You couldāve ignored us. Instead, by blocking our links, youāve given us the best endorsement we could ask for. Youāve confirmed what weāve been saying all along - that big tech is more interested in protecting their walled gardens than fostering genuine innovation.
Every time you block a link to our platform, you remind people why we built it in the first place. Your action tells them there are alternatives worth exploring, ones that respect their privacy and agency. So thank you, Mark. Youāve turned our little project into a symbol of resistance against digital monopolies.
Perhaps one day youāll remember what it felt like to be the underdog, building something because you believed in its potential to make the internet better. Our doors are always open if you want to remember what that feels like.
Best regards,
Daniel Supernault
P.S. Keep blocking those links. Every error message is just free advertising for the social web.
My Adaptive Smart Light Setup
A Guide, and a Glimpse Into the Mind of a Madman (Me)
Iāve previously written about why I think Smart Bulbs > Smart Switches.1 And one of the reasons I think that, is that I (for some reason) really love having the colour temperature of my lights change throughout the day.
Sadly, Iāve found the automatic systems for this really lacking. But here I wanted to show how Iāve created a system I like.
The goals:
I want a smart home. But, in use, I want it to be as simple as a dumb one. I want guests to be able to operate things at, at least, the same level as they would in another unfamiliar home.3 And then I want to add smart benefits on top of this, like colour temperature, automations, some hidden button features, and being able to override stuff with things like a phone.
My most used switch is the Flic 2. And when the light is off, I want one click to turn on to a setting thatās almost always the right one. But as the āright settingā changes throughout the day, I have to do some adjustments in the backgroundā¦
While you can adjust the brightness in Home.app, I also wanted to be able to do it with a dimmer switch at some places. So Iāve bought a couple of Flic Twists šļø as well.4 HomeKit/Matter, sadly, hasnāt delivered support for dimmers, though ā so I had to be a bit creative to get these to work as I wanted.
The principle
Iāve created three āmoodsā (which correlates to brightness and colour temperature):
And, currently, my home moves through these moods at these times:
If you turn on a light during āCream timeā it will turn on to that setting, and so on. And when the mood changes (during the day), it will go through the lights that are turned on, and adapt them to the current mood.
The how
Rumble Nation ā a Terrific, Minimalistic, Japanese Strategy Board Game
Comparison Between the Old, Regular Version and the New, Deluxe Version
A couple of years ago, I got a great recommendation from the Board Game Barrage podcast: The minimalistic area majority board game, Rumble Nation. It only takes about 30 minutes to play, is easy to learn, and is cheap and compact. And all of this while still offering a lot of player interaction and interesting choices.
A rundown of the game:
You're competing for control over 11 areas in feudal Japan numbered from 2 to 12. These will give 2-12 points to the winner (and half points for second place). The winner is the person with the most points.
The game has two phases: One where players will take turns, and there are both chance and choices ā and one where you'll see who wins the fights. (But with no chance or choices.)
In phase 2, the person who has the most armies in an area will win it. But here's the most interesting part: You'll determine the winner in order, from 2 to 12. And if you win area 2, you'll be able to add reinforcements, 2 armies, to every adjacent area you have at least 1 army in (and that hasn't been determined yet). So, prioritising high numbers is great, as you'll get a lot of points. But low numbers will give you a lot of extra armies in other higher value fights!
When placing armies, in phase 1, you'll throw 3 dice. You then combine two of them to determine where you place them (if you select 3 and 6, you'll place them in the 9), and the last die determines how many you'll place (half its value, rounded down). You can also, once per game, use a special card ability.
This means you'll place between 1 and 3 armies every round ā so everyone won't be done in the same number of rounds. You can't (without using special abilities) move armies you've placed. So, in general, it's best to be the last to commit your armies ā but the game has handled this in an interesting way, by having the tiebreaker in the phase 2 fights be whomever finished their phase 1 first.
And as mentioned, phase 2 is 100% deterministic, so the game wraps up really fast and smoothly.
I ordered the original version from Japan, and itās been a treasured possession. But recently, I was looking at some other games from Japan, and saw that they had made a deluxe version šļø of it ā so I ordered it.
I got it in the mail today, and wanted to show how it compares to the original, as I havenāt seen this done anywhere.
The rules
The only gameplay changes compared to the base game is that one tactic card is nerfed a bit,1 and that the deluxe version includes a Daimyo variant/mini-expansion.
Quick Recommendation #3: What Makes This Song Stink (YouTube)
In general, I prefer positive content. So I prefer the vibe of CinemaWins over CinemaSins. But the series called What Makes This Song Stink, by Pat Finnerty, is an absolute treasure of YouTube content.
I think it can work for anyone ā but itās especially funny if youāve spent any time on āMusic YouTubeā. (The series is packed with Rick Beato beats.)
I recommend starting at the beginning (of the playlist linked above), with Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down, and watch them in order. Then youāll see the evolution of the form, and be in on all the terrific in-jokes. And already the third video, on Weezer - Beverly Hills, is a highlight.
Itās hard to explain, but the series just has so much heart, and Pat is just delightful. I highly recommend giving this series a try! (Also, he releases like a couple of videos a year ā so its easy to stay on top of.)
Quick Recommendation #2: Better Markdown Preview in Finder
Hitting space to preview files (Quick Look) is one of my favourite Finder features. However, it does a pretty mediocre job with Markdown files. QLMarkdown is a little utility that makes these previews richer.
You can install it from this link, or by using this Homebrew command:
brew install --cask qlmarkdown
The app isnāt signed ā so you need to do the little dance to convince macOS that you want to run the app. (This is detailed in the original link share up top.)
You need to open the app once for the utility to work. And thatās also where you change settings.
I get that many Markdown contexts are outside of Finder ā but if you do use them there, I hope this little tool can be useful!
Quick Recommendation #1: Cheap Strap Locks for Guitars
Why buy expensive (or just kind of cheap strap locks, when you can go old school and just order a bunch of rubber gaskets for bottles??
Hereās a link šļø to the listing I used on AliExpress ā but there are probably plenty of others that are just as fine. šš»
I know itās silly ā but for some reason I think itās a bit more rock ānā roll to use something not meant for the purpose. š
āļø A Recommendation for the Great Note-Taking and Task Management App, NotePlan
In the latest episode of AppStories, Brendon Bigley filled in for Federico Viticci. Among other things, they discussed the apps he used, and he said he had research (and some writing) in Obsidian, while using the neat little post-it app Tot for ātask managementā. By task management, he meant that he kept his daily tasks in a note, and just deleted it at the end of the day.
This workflow made me want to recommend an app I like: NotePlan. And this post is a letter to him, about why I recommend that he takes a look.
Hi, Brendan! Iāve been listening to NPC on and off ā but as Iām slightly more interested in the stuff AppStories focuses on, Iām glad you got the chance to bring your voice there as well. I enjoyed the episode!
When listening to your workflows and tastes in apps, I felt the need to throw a recommendation your way (which might also fit someone else who stumbles upon this letter): NotePlan. I think this app would be a nice upgrade over the way you use Tot, while, at the same time, also having the potential of replacing Obsidian. The writing experience is nicer than Obsidianās ā so it might even creep up on iA Writer! However, the writing experience isnāt absolutely top-tier, so I have to admit that I write my blog posts in a different app ā while the files are in the NotePlan folder. (My favourite writing Markdown experience is Paper, which I wrote a review of here.)
Furthermore, itās a bit expensive on its own, so if you donāt already already subscribe to Setapp šļø (where the app is included), it might not be worth it, depending on which apps (if any) it manages to replace.
These are the ingredients the app is made up of:
At its core, itās an Obsidian-like, as in just-a-folder-of-Markdown-files.
It does have plugin support, but itās still far from as customisable as Obsidian.
However, if youāre mostly on Apple devices, itās much more native-feeling than most Electron apps.1
As I heard you use Windows at work, it could be valuable that NotePlan has a web app as well ā even though itās not as good as the native experience.
It offers powerful note-taking features, like
I also like that it has a command-bar interface (with a fast search), and powerful custom themes.
But the Secret Sauce is the way it handles tasks and calendar notes! But before I go into that, I wanted to touch on ā¦
How you can use it in conjecture with other apps, like Obsidian:
As mentioned, the NotePlan library is just a folder, that looks like this:
The Notes folder holds your regular notes, while the Calendar folder holds the calendar notes. If you wanted to dip your toes into the app, while using Obsidian in parallell, you could just add your Obsidian vault to the Notes folder. Then you just point Obsidian to either just folder, or the whole NotePlan folder (so youāll get access to the Calendar folder as well). I think note links are cross-compatible between Obsidian and NotePlan.