I wish I could share this post with a few people, it baffles me how people get away with such excuses and show no desire to close their skill gaps.

Alan Jacobs documents a similar thought process I am going through after the recents stories of being locked out of an Apple account through no fault of your own. I already rely on .txt or .md files most things but I will be following Alanโ€™s lead to get my photos backed up locally.

There is little contention that writing is a useful tool when working, whether the purpose of that work is recalling, assimilating, collating, constructing or critiquing. This is an essay examining not whether notes should be taken, but how.

A wonderful read about note-making and finding the right approach for how you work. I think it made me realise why I struggle to keep a habit going with apps like Obsidian. They imply a pressure to make notes which I don’t need, and which takes away the fun.

Edit: I also love the design of this personal site! Delightful.

This whole episode is making me rethink my move from 1Password to Apple Passwords and my whole backup system. Such a scary situation, I hope he is able to regain access to his Apple account soon.

There is a blog I have been reading for many years, on the whole the posts are interesting and enjoyable, but they have developed this tendency to constantly refer to “the genocide Israel is committing” and it tars an otherwise good blog. They are entitled to say what they want, but that particular statement is baseless and an outright lie. I find myself now questioning why I keep the feed in my RSS.

First ever session with a personal trainer this morning. Enjoyed it. I will be healthier next year.

Your taste is what makes you interesting. Not the things everyone else likes too. Not the consensus opinion. Not whatever TikTok has decided you should see today. The messy, personal, sometimes inexplicable preferences that develop when you actually have to seek things out rather than having them delivered to you. That's taste, and it's worth protecting.

Yes. This.

Lately I’ve been finding myself wondering why I stopped buying vinyl when I went to university and wishing I hadn’t stopped. The hours spent on a Saturday in record shops in Nottingham picking up records, giving them a listen, and then deciding if it was worth my hard earned cash. It was time well spent. I had a curated record collection. Now I have an Apple Music account with a library over flowing with music I’ve saved over the last 2 decades. I’ve no idea what’s in there and most of it hasn’t been listened to in years. I rely on the suggestions to find new stuff. Is there a wonder I sometimes open the app and have no clue what to listen to?

When people ask me what I’m listening to these days I have boring answers, or no answer at all. 20 years ago I had a list of interesting records I’d discovered, white label remixes, EP’s by some random artist that I’ve never come across since but which were a real joy to listen to.

When I think about how the money I spent then compares to the money I’ve spent on music in the last 15 years, there’s a stark contrast. I have something to show for the time and energy in those record shops (all be it in my parents garage), but I have nothing for the money spent on streaming services since. One has tangible results with a defined taste, the other has disappeared in to the ether and I can’t remember the amazing EP I found 10 years ago because it’s too hard to find.

Technology has made music easier to listen to, but it’s also made it less valuable. The type of music I listen to now has broadened and my taste has become less tangible as a result. That’s kind of sad.

The Case Against Customer Reviews

Niq touches on a subject I’ve been thinking about over the last few days, online reviews. His focus is on the fake ones that people write in return for a discount, reviews that don’t offer a true reflection of the work/service/product received. Quite rightly, he points out that:

Online ratings are built upon trust. Of course, every person has their own rating system, but still, if anything on the internet has a rating close to 5 stars, you can usually expect it to be a genuinely positive experience.

Fake online ratings, however, destroy this system of trust. Dear people of the internet: Don’t take the bait out of personal greed to get a lousy 10% discount when you have to sell your soul in exchange.

Whilst I agree with this, I am starting to land in a different place. The general population should not be allowed to post reviews. It’s a little extreme perhaps, but bear with me.

I think reviews should be entirely objective and there should be no space for a disgruntled customer to post a quick, one-line, one-star review on Google. It benefits no one other than to placate a temporary feeling by the poster. It is an ineffective byproduct of our society which places strong emphasis on instant gratification before moving on to the next thing. It encourages a world lacking in forgiveness and compassion.

Before the internet, we turned to experts to understand what was good or bad about something we are less informed of. The world of food has the Michelin guide, hotels have AA ratings, businesses relied on good service, but now a Google rating of 4.5 or above is a marketing gimmick.

One of my favourite local cafes consistently serves top-quality coffee from friendly and knowledgeable baristas. Its Google rating just dropped to 4.4 because of one disgruntled customer posting a 2-star review that by all accounts is inaccurate. It certainly does not reflect my experience or the experience of the many regulars I see in there every morning. If it did, they wouldn’t keep coming back.

The question ultimately, is: why do we give people the power to post a negative review (or positive) when they could be having a bad day and one thing out of character happens in a cafe that tips them over the edge?

I would much rather pay attention to an objective review of a place written by someone who knows their stuff and who likely has visited multiple times before forming their opinion.