Journal

I Did It Again

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Here’s something about me: I’ll tweak and twerk on something until it’s molded into something I’m happy with. And just when I’ve got it down to what I want, I switch to something entirely different.

Example- I’ve been working with a fantastic site setup here in the past so much that it got to the point where all I had to do is…write. So I’ll write for a time and then I would tweak the web site again instead.

I can’t help it, because it’s fun. The tinkering allows me to think and do it just for the hell of it. Imagine a chef creating something from a recipe but in reverse order or adding/subtracting ingredients as needed. That’s where I am at.

These past few months I think I have finally settled on a solution I am proud of here. It’s functional, it looks great and everything makes sense. For the first time in a long time, I am content.

However, I do reserve the right to tweak and enhance the current set up.

Just for the hell of it.

I Want This

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There are many things in my life that I don’t need. I don’t need half the technology I have, nor most of online services that I pay for. This includes the hosting for my website. I don’t need it, but it does serve a purpose deeper than the amount it costs me each year and gives me value.

My website(s) have been up for more than two decades (learning from a file error mistake, the earliest post I still have is from 2013) and it has been through various iterations. The most recent of which was going back to a personal web server host. The benefits and hours devoted to the setup and install outweigh the costs.

This website has been many things over the years such as, attempted portfolios, business ventures (photography) and a lot of design coding, but still provides an outlet for me. In reality, this website provides very little to me, it doesn’t receive accolades or followers as much as it used to, my life would remain unchanged if I didn’t have this outlet, but I still want one.

This is a journal, a hobby for sure, but writing gives me something that nothing else provides. I love networking with people and I enjoy journaling. Long form and short form both help me document my life as it is currently. Sometimes other people join me here and that is fantastic. Just because I receive nothing in return (on the surface), it doesn’t mean that this doesn’t have value. I believe everyone needs to have their own space on the world wide web.

No one or their website, should focus on follower count, advertising, tracking or page views. You won’t recoup your costs, let’s be honest. This is a personal website and are beholden to no one. You publish what you want, when you want and how you need to.

I don’t need this but I want this.

Productivity?

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I should really get my shit together.

I’m thinking of changing/eliminating my complex “productivity” system with something simpler.

Such as “Write it down so I don’t forget it. Then do it as soon as I can.” I don’t need more software. I need more ideas and the energy to act on them.

Writing Software
I have three writing apps with a variety of features and all are redundant: Drafts, iA Writer and Ulysses. Drafts and Ulysses are both subscription based whereas iA Writer is a one time purchase. Drafts and Ulysses both have issues connecting to my well-secured web server. This prevents me from posting my drafted article on to my website. iA Writer stands out here as well. I am typing in it right now and when it is complete, I will hit “Publish” and it gets posted to my website.

The verdict: Drafts & Ulysses are no longer on my devices. That’s two down.

Notes & Journaling
Apple Notes, Bear Notes, Day One, GoodNotes, Obsidian are the current note taking apps and of course they all have unique properties. Out of all these only one could be deemed necessary, Apple Notes. It’s free, syncs to all Apple devices and allows collaboration with others. But it is so.damn.ugly. Bear Notes is all that and customizable. Worth the $15 annually in my mind. Day One is a private, digital journal that is not worth it to me anymore. Good Notes allows you to use your iPad and Pencil to scribble notes. I have physical notepads for this now. Obsidian is not only my second brain and pensieve but a repository for my notes. The same notes that are hosted in iCloud and now redundant.

The verdict: D1, GN and Obsidian are no longer on my devices. That’s three down.

Everything Else
As subscriptions come to an end I will review 1in a future blog post of course and assess their worthiness. Chances are I will go with the stock Apple apps for these. I don’t mind supporting small developers and their wonderful applications but subscription bloat is real. Their software is redundant and causes paralysis by over analysis.

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

James Clear, Atomic Habits

Micro Photo

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I want to start posting images, maybe not daily but close to it. This will be a running log and who knows how long it lasts?

Bob Dylan Center, Reconciliation Way, Tulsa, Oklahoma 4-28-22

D.R.

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Missing the Dominican Republic and testing a new code embedding url from Vimeo to my website. It works!

Writing on the WWW

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Own your website. It’s important because you control the format now and forever if you want to. No social media because that isn’t yours. Your social media account is just renting space until you are evicted.

Buy a domain name, choose a blog host, install WordPress blogging software on it. Once you are about 50% content with the way your own site looks, move on to long form and short form writing, photos, drawings, whatever you fancy… because it is yours. Leave the final 50% for slow, and incremental enhancements along the way. If you’re wondering what style or format you should write, write as though if you were writing a friend in an email.

Categorize and tag your posts for future reference and easy search on a topic you wrote 5 years ago. You’ll thank yourself later.

While going through the downloaded archives of my old Twitter account, I realized several things which are going to shape the way I write on the web in the future.

The mundane rituals of the past will now seem fascinating in 10 years time, because you see that things have changed and have also stayed the same. Such as living in a different state(s), or you’re now with someone else. Taking a moment to capture your life as it is now helps nostalgia down the road.

2006–10–25 19:37:06 +0000 My obligatory first tweet here on TWTTR.

2007–12–07 03:42:50 +0000 still can’t get Photoshop working and now I can’t open the RAW images I took from my new Nikon D200 camera. @#$%@*&

2012–01–17 21:30:40 +0000 Relocating to Tulsa in T-minus 12 hours.

2012–12–07 13:50:58 +0000 Holy shit I turned 40 today.

Twitter: @mojodenbow

Those tweets are well and good for documenting the times but how much more valuable are they on your own website? Social media isn’t forever, they come, go and most will take all the effort you put into it with them. I can look back fondly on my brief flirtation with both Linux and Windows operating systems, or a photo of my daughter from 2009 easily.

JANUARY 1, 2013 / CHRIS / INFODENBOW

HAPPY GNU YEAR

I’ve taken on another project that involves diving deep inside the Linux operating itself. For a few years I’ve been using a dual boot hybrid desktop using Ubuntu and Windows 7. I’ve added the Fedora distribution inside a virtual machine inside Ubuntu and deleted the Windows partition. Oh, and GNU = “Gnu’s Not Unix”

HAPPY GNU YEAR post from 01.01.2013, ChrisDenbow.com

So I continue generating text, photos, doodles and anything else I want. For me. This website is a kinetic journal and I plan to continue doing this right to the end. I suggest everyone create their own website here on the WWW.