Small Deeds

2022-05-01 11:39:12

Great acts are made up of small deeds

Lao Tzu

Reading

2022-05-01 11:47:30

Take A Walk

2022-05-01 23:04:42

Drawing is like taking a line for a walk

Paul Klee

Health App

2022-05-02 09:19:22

For some reason this morning I wondered if Apple Health app could track weight as opposed to me using the invasive MyFitnessPal app and eureka! It felt great to not only add my new weight, (down from previous) but to also delete the MFPal app from my device forever. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

Beginner's Mind

2022-05-03 09:04:35

“It often happens that two students can solve difficulties in their work for one another better than the master can. The fellow-pupil can help because he knows less. The difficulty we want him to explain is one he has recently met. The expert met it so long ago he has forgotten.”

C.S. Lewis

When I was supervising a team of engineers, I would often train new hires but also bring in a recent “graduate” from a previous training session to sit in with these new hires. The concepts were still fresh in their minds, while I may have taken for granted what should be common knowledge because it was “basic.”

While learning how to sketch and paint here recently, I grabbed a couple of books such as “Beginning Watercoloring” or “Learn to Draw” that was absolutely worthless. I am drawing stick figures but the examples shown in the book were full on portraits in pencil that would take years to master.

If I were to ask an artist right now how do you do this or that, they may not be able to convey properly what I need to learn. No, I need someone who is at the same level to learn with and challenge each other to become better. I am ignorant and sometimes don’t know what to ask, so how can I effectively learn from a “master?”

This is a great time to document what you are doing and learning right now because eventually you can look back on it and see your progress. As opposed to making something crap, then posting for everyone to see and offer fake kudos or “likes.” This doesn’t help. The expert takes for granted all of the fundamental concepts needed because they’ve moved on. They’ve built their knowledge and their foundation and have put their own flair on it.

This applies to utility engineering, to drawing, to photography or everything else. Innate talent will only take you so far. Embrace your beginner status and learn to have fun. Document your progress and appreciate the journey.

Never Give Up

2022-05-03 09:15:19

“The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never giving up your enthusiasm.”

Aldous Huxley

Amateur Pleasure

2022-05-03 22:48:33

“What is more pure than an amateur love? What is better than listening to a friend with a newly found hobby? It is not about buying and selling. It is not about prestige, or mastery, or status. Being an amateur is about pleasure.”

– Someone

Yeah, that title is misleading from the quote, but maybe this post will get more hits from someone’s misguided search engine query lol

Use What You Got

2022-05-03 23:50:44

Poor grammar in the title aside, I have some nice things. I’m fortunate and have more things than I could ever want. But somehow I’ve acquired more stuff this past year. I tinker and play with my toys and I like to try new things whether it be hardware, software, cameras, film, and other assorted thingamajigs. I like to see what is different or even better that what I have and use. I enjoy shiny things.

After years of finding workarounds with inexpensive, cheaply made incompatible hardware or software, I’ve been fortunate enough to have everything I want and need. I have systems that talk to each other and give me joy. I have more cameras that I need and rarely use. I’m good on upgrading now because I made sure my things were the best I could afford and future-proofed them intentionally.

Now when I start looking for something new to allegedly assist me do something, I will remind myself, “Use what you got!” Only the essentials or something I do not have already. This includes cameras, computers, or insert new shiny thing here.

I have these things already and they work.

Returned

2022-05-04 10:19:37

I just returned three e-books back to the library because they didn’t live up to the hype.

”The Plot”, whereas a creative writing professor steals a student’s submitted novel and takes the best-selling credit.

“Less” Won the Pulitzer Prize but was told by a narrator: ”Imagine if you will, dear reader…” No thanks.

”Ghost Fleet” A novel about the next world war, I didn’t make it past the lead up to the upcoming war.

A reminder that just because you start a book, you don’t have to finish it if there is no perceived value to you.

What's On My Mind Lately

2022-05-04 22:23:41

Just Do It

2022-05-05 15:24:58

“We learn by doing.”

This is the way you master your hobby, by getting on and doing it. Learn, practice, re-learn and practice some more. This goes for writing, sketching, photography, painting, or everything else. You don’t get good without practice, keep your head down and move onward.

There are no shortcuts to becoming a good photographer. Just go out and take photos. You don’t need a specific lens or a new camera because you cannot buy skill. It does not matter whether you share images to your website or Instagram because all the “likes” will not help you improve. If you want to take good photos, you have to take numerous photos first. The majority will be crap, and that’s okay. I’ve come back home with maybe 5 usable images and been happy.

With your writing, it does not matter what software application you use, what blogging platform or newsletter publisher or what type of personal computing device you do it on. If the goal is to become a better writer, then just write. A lot of it will be crap, and that’s okay too. I’ve cranked out possibly 5 good articles a month and been happy.

Consistency and constantly. If it isn’t worth the time and effort to put into it, then perhaps it isn’t relevant for you.

You cannot buy in and expect dramatic results with your new gear. The gear doesn’t make you better. Only you can make yourself look good by trusting the process. It’s time to go out there and get it.

Ulysses Update

2022-05-05 17:13:07

Ulysses 26 update looks great. Now with custom fonts and better support for accessing my web server (meaning I can connect to it again. Will I re-up or stick with iA Writer?

Unfortunately I run into an error where I cannot post to the Micro page from either Ulysses or iA Writer so now it comes down to use the pay and use or subscription based software?

Server Issues

2022-05-05 21:45:01

After an hour and a half with my server host, the connection issue was unresolved. I am trying to secure the web certificate so it reads as:

https://www.micro.chrisdenbow.com

The “S” in the domain name denotes a secure website. But the server hosts were useless and it took the site down completely. I finally restored it myself in the cPanel but not without frustration. Now I’ll just leave it alone.

Server Issues

2022-05-05 21:48:47

After an hour and a half with my server host, the connection issue to my Micro posts page was unresolved. I am trying to secure the web certificate so it reads as:

https://www.micro.chrisdenbow.com

The “S” in the domain name denotes a secure website. But the server hosts were useless and it took the site down completely. I finally restored it myself in the cPanel but not without frustration. Now I’ll just leave it alone.

5-5 Waypoint Check-In

2022-05-05 23:22:07

This is the 3rd stop of my 11th month [[journey]] to create life-long habits for myself. The full write up on this is now hosted in the Archives.

I’ll be taking this year-long trek up to December 12th (12/12) and will stop and reflect on my progress each month until then. These will be known as monthly waypoints. A waypoint is a reference point that helps us know where we are and where we’re going. Whether we are walking, driving, or navigating a journey to better yourself, waypoints help us find our way.

So how am I doing so far?

Nutrition & Training
Despite poor eating habits, I’ve managed to drop three pounds since last check-in. April had me working out just about every day and I am grateful for that but I am seeing very little gains, I wonder how to correct this.

Yoga & Meditation
Non existent this month. I need to find a thicker mat because these hardwood floors HURT. I tried stacking mats together but two thin mats equal…well, only a slightly thicker mat unfortunately . It is difficult to create a tiny zen temple in your own home when your home is inflexible, just like my body is becoming.
If it was not for the hourly reminder from my Apple Watch to meditate it probably would not get done. I need to sort out how to do this without a Siri prompt.

Photography & Writing

No change to either of these, again due to stresses. So, I will simply cut/paste from the previous month as it still applies:

Other than ”snappy hour” every day before sunset, I have not photographed anything I wanted to. Again, the extreme weather is not helping. That will change, even if I have to do tech stuff laying around the office and call it ”still life.” Regarding my two decades worth of unorganized images: progress. I will get the archives organized this year. Only then can I advance in what I really want to do with them. I intend to make memories by developing physical prints, books, and even zines. I’ve also switched up my genres to focus on landscape and urban photography. A lot to learn here this year.

Writing? I’ve made a decision to do more blogging/journaling both analog and digital this past month. Blogging was hampered while consolidating my websites and moving them to my own server. Also, I’ve been reading, a lot. Two books in about seven days. Writers are readers so they say.

One Last Thing:
I feel like I could cut and paste these posts from one month to the next. What is the point of creating habits for yourself, checking in with supposed accountability with little progress to show in your journey? However, now that spring time has arrived I plan on being outdoors more frequently and this makes me happy. More hiking, geocaching, photography, disc golf, and aero photos.

Time to get back on the trail because I have a long way to go. The next waypoint check in is on 6/6. Happy trails!

TGIF

2022-05-06 11:12:45

Paper: A Good Storage Format?

2022-05-06 13:21:24

I waffle a lot between digital and analog. I enjoy paper books for the tactile aesthetics, but love the convenience of a digital book (thousands in a pocket-sized device!) Paper books have been around for eons, still available, and we have seen how durable paper can be. No one knows how long a digital medium will last. The Classics have been reprinted and stored in multiple locations, but digital information is tied to proprietary formats. I just bought a fifty-year-old typewriter. Can my MacBook last that long? Will my website survive another 20 years? Forty years? Sure, I can convert the entirety of my Archives to a PDF format and print it out, but who would want to read it?

I try to use open standards and future-proof my writing, mostly in a non-proprietary .txt format, but sometimes that isn’t enough. I’ve lost the early years (2001-2011) because I didn’t know enough to back them up when swapping laptops, hard drives, etc. Such as buying a computer that did not have a floppy disk or CD drive, and then have that information stuck on formats I could no longer access. Or, they were erroneously deleted when doing a cleanse. Oops.

The stuff I printed years ago is still okay. My parents possess old family photo prints which have existed for over fifty years. Paper can be a perpetual format to store information. All digital storage formats using a tape will rot away over time. Hard drives will fail or become corrupted. We can, ourselves, accidentally delete precious memories or ransomeware can invade and encrypt your files, so back everything up. I have multiple hard drives for this plus cloud storage, but this all implies I back up regularly.

Paper is a simple medium that can store limited types of information. I can print text, write on it, print photos on it, etc. Paper can be stored in a binder, folder, metal cabinets that help organize and protect. Of course, it can be damaged, but that is every file format wether it is digital or analog.

So, my solution to the issue is to try to do both analog and digital where I can. Back up everything, everywhere I can. Make it consistent and redundant.

Own Your Name

2022-05-06 21:42:39

Sure, I could choose a fancy name for the website (previously named MojoDenbow.com), but owning your name is even better. I could easily have my e-mail go through a “free” service, but who really wants “@gmail.com” at the end of it?

Not me.

This Is For You

2022-05-07 08:51:54

It is usual that the moment you write for publication—I mean one of course—one stiffens in exactly the same way one does when one is being photographed. The simplest way to overcome this is to write it to someone, like me. Write it as a letter aimed at one person. This removes the vague terror of addressing the large and faceless audience and it also, you will find, will give a sense of freedom and a lack of self-consciousness.

John Steinbeck

Wrecked

2022-05-07 16:52:28

So I purchased this book for my mother awhile back and it was just regifted. She felt guilty for damaging a book. This book was designed to take the abuse so I threw it down into the wet grass where she promptly stomped on it. That’s the spirit!

FNC-46

2022-05-07 16:57:08

I just received the latest Field Notes offering from the subscription and I like it. “Vignette” allows you to add a custom photo inside your journal cover. That plus the grid lines on the paper is a refreshing change from the ruled lines offered previously. Now I have to get writing to keep up with all of them.

A Few Thoughts On...

2022-05-11 17:10:01

1. Creativity and imagination needs to be constantly fed.
2. Reading is an anytime, anywhere pastime
3. Slow down.
4. Excuses delay the inevitable.
5. Make time for good conversation.
6. Apply what you know.
7. Chase the knowledge.
8. Organize your desk.
9. Make yourself so good that they don’t want to let you go.
10. You are only as good to them as your last quarter.
11. Do or don’t.
12. Try.
13. Your best effort wants to come out. Give it a go.
14. Essentialism > minimalism
15. Personal development > formal education.
16. Learning > formal education
17. Moderation in all things (sugar, salt, social media, alcohol, spending)
18. Let the tools do their job. Your brain can take care of the rest.
19. Pen to paper > fingers to keyboard.
20. What is your origin story? Document your progress.
21. Change is good.
22. Willingness to change is even better.
23. Laughing is a habit-forming drug.
24. No one told you because they didn’t know either.
25. Asking is free.
26. Doing > over-analyzing how to do it.
27. Your thoughts are clouded and stuck in high fructose corn syrup.
28. Youth is a feeling, not an age.
29. Call your loved ones.
30. Forgive yourself.
31. Forgive them.
32. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness > whatever else you are doing instead.

Limited Time

2022-05-12 09:15:32

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

Steve Jobs

ART

2022-05-12 10:45:36

Boredom As Motivation

2022-05-12 17:32:19

Boredom can be a good thing. Boredom motivates me to create, explore to go outside, and look for new adventures (and misadventures.)

Freedom

2022-05-12 17:36:36

I love my MacBook Pro but an issue I have with it is the fact that it is my main driver, but stays on the desk. It forces me to be static. Sure, I can take it with me but…

The kinetic alternative is my iPad Pro.

An even better alternative is the iPhone 13 Pro Max. With this I am no longer static so I can walk around and document with images, voice recordings and text.

Web v. 4.0

2022-05-12 17:41:27

The next web iteration will see us return to the basics. Limited, if any social media. Personal websites, blogging, no algorithms, no advertising, chat rooms, IRC, RSS, e-mail, SMS.

All the best parts of Web 1.0

Now Hiring

2022-05-13 01:44:45

Dog Dish

2022-05-13 01:53:01

Cigar Box Journals

2022-05-13 14:12:16

I needed a solution to store my growing Field Notes journals and I finally found one. This box holds both completed and new pocket-sized journals. Not bad for a buck, and I even like the color.

Audio Denbow

2022-05-13 14:59:04

Or Radio Denbow, I haven’t decided. Either way, I’m in GarageBand working on the vocals and learning how to navigate sound, eliminate background noise and everything else that comes with creating a clean podcast.

Plain Text

2022-05-13 19:46:08

Just about everything I write digitally-  blog posts, to-do’s, notes, journal, code, thoughts, plans, etc get drafted in text format (.txt) 

These are an extension of me, my digitized, quantified, extended memory of organized thoughts. I use them often for research, reference, and a log. 

So you see, they are important to me. They are a log of my digitized life. Text files are reliable, long-lasting and flexible. Here are some examples how this is the case:

Portability

I’ve had text files around since I upgraded from a manual typewriter to a word processor (personal computers were too expensive for me in college.) Text files have been around for me since 1996. Those text files were backed up on 3.5” floppy disks from the word processor to Windows 3.1 to Linux to thumb drives to Android and finally to my Apple devices here in 2022. Twenty six years old!

Every device I’ve owned, including the long obsolete devices, and devices that have not been manufactured yet can read/write/edit plain text. It is ubiquitous, everywhere. 

Non-Proprietary

Along comes an industry-leading company that says you should use their software, that just so happens to have it’s own unique format. You either buy the software or subscribe to the service to keep your documents in their format. Now you’re locked in. Boom. Your notes just lost it’s portability, flexibility and freedom for the price of “features and convenience.” What happens when that company goes belly-up? Your hard work is trapped in an unusable format. Your writing will outlive them. It will hopefully outlive you. Proprietary software is not an option. Plain text is universal, non-commercial and will be for another few decades. 

Non-Internet-Dependent

No connection, no problem. Accessing your writing when you need it is best. 

Independent

No need for Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Evernote, OneNote, Google, etc etc etc. Sure, I could make the documents prettier with Word, but then again, I am locked in and rendered useless. A basic text editor and plain text files are plenty. So is a pen and paper. 

Convertible 

Plain text is flexible enough to convert to other formats as needed such as Markdown files, HTML, JSON etc. 

Final Note

Portable, non-proprietary, offline, independent, convertible, minimal, flexible and future-proof. Plain text will continue to be read for the next few decades. Plain isn’t boring. 

CD + LP

2022-05-13 20:25:38

Girls, Girls Girls

2022-05-14 19:26:22

Art

2022-05-14 19:28:46

SuperDrive

2022-05-14 19:30:10

Peace Of Mind

2022-05-15 10:10:04

I have successfully modified the xml-rpm.ini file to accept multiple requests from third-party software. That was bugging me for months!

Test Post

2022-05-15 10:16:21

Did I fix the xml-rpc issues that were locking out read/write access?

Photographic Form

2022-05-17 09:30:14

“…taking pictures is incidental. It’s a by-product, in a sense, of everything else. What you’re really doing is giving form—photographic form—to a thought, to an opinion, to an understanding of the world, of what is in front of you.”

Someone

3 Rules

2022-05-17 18:39:57

My three rules about existing as a hobbyist artist/photographer:

• Just keep making pictures.
• Your work will be seen when it’s ready to be seen.
• Network gracefully.

Ventilate

2022-05-17 22:53:31

Clean air boosts mental power.

Take Charge

2022-05-18 10:10:46

“Nothing about the Internet is fixed, permanent, or inevitable. It is malleable, shape-shifting, and constantly evolving. And it increasingly comes with more responsibility and risks for guarding our own data and taking charge of distributing our words and images.”

EI Skyers

This sums up nicely what I’ve been referring to when it comes to owning your platform. Build a blog, delete your social media account(s), dump Google mail and get your personalized e-mail address, and distribute your words and images your way.

Invest Wisely

2022-05-18 10:11:47

What is your book budget?

Technical Issues

2022-05-18 10:18:00

If you think technology will solve your problems then you don’t understand technology – and, you don’t understand your problems.

Laurie Anderson

Find the best tool for a specific job and stick with it. This is better said than done for me since I enjoy trying all the new shiny tools to play with out there. I am getting better at this and narrowed them down to a select few for writing, post-process photography, etc.

Domesticated or Wild?

2022-05-18 10:25:16

Domesticated animal or wild predator? If you’re a stuck-at-home person, you may be considered as a domesticated herd animal. If you prefer to be out in the real world then you may consider yourself a wild predator, untamed.

This pandemic has me feeling more and more like a domesticated herd animal and less a feral, wild, untamed animal and I don’t like it.

Now I know what a predator in a zoo feels like and one can empathize.

Recess

2022-05-18 13:22:01

Notable

2022-05-18 14:13:09

Interesting conversation at micro.blog about what people use to take notes. Me? 

• Handwriting in notebooks (usually Field Notes™)
• Marginalia in books 
• Plain text notes on the computer
• Voice recordings notes in .mp3 format (the plain text of audio) 
• Begrudgingly- Bear Notes and Apple Notes

I want my notes to be future-proof and platform-agnostic.

Media Log

2022-05-18 18:09:52

“There is now a little question that how one uses one’s attention, moment to moment, largely determines what kind of person one becomes. Our minds, our lives are largely shaped by how we use them.”

Sam Harris

In other words, we are what we consume. I want to create a monthly maybe? log of my media consumption that tracks my passivity, and cultivates my creativity. Example: If I go further, I could map how reading a book sparks a desire to see a show based on it for a broader perspective. A podcast could point me towards a book I otherwise would have passed up.

I’ll attempt to track the shows and movies I stream (no cable service for me!), books I’ve read, podcasts/music I’ve listened to and the rare YT video I watch. Don’t judge me. I’ve been in bed for almost three weeks nursing an ankle issue(!) I may even expand this log to web links I’ve enjoyed and favorited for future use eventually. To kick off, I’ll just log what I can remember from April and May of this year.

Viewed

• Suspicion- Apple TV
• The Machine That Kills Mean People- HBO
• Severance- Apple TV
• Outer Ridge- Amazon
• Devs- Hulu
• Tehran- Apple TV
• Frasier- Hulu
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds- Paramount
• Star Trek: Picard season 2- Paramount
• Star Trek: Discovery- Paramount
• Star Trek: Generations- Paramount
• Reservoir Dogs- HBO
• The Book of Boba Fett- Disney
• The King’s Man- HBO
• The Batman- 1/2 in theater, 100% on HBO

Read

• Ghost Fleet
• You Are An Artist
• The Nowhere Man
• Orphan X
• Reliquary
• Kaiju Preservation Society
• The Return

Listened

• Not Lost
• iPhoneography Podcast
• Dialogues
• Focused
• Mac Power Users
• Music- I borrowed a lot of compact discs from the library to transfer music to my iPod. Remember those?

Off The Grid

2022-05-18 18:23:10

“It is not down in any map; true places never are.”

—Herman Melville, MOBY-DICK

Homework

2022-05-19 08:42:13

“Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life.”

– Lawrence Kasdan

This quote could also be used for any hobby endeavor we choose such as photography, crochet, micro electronics, Ham radio, etc.

A hobbyist is constantly researching techniques, going over best practices and learning how to apply them. You don’t just sit down at your keyboard and start cranking out paragraphs without research on the topic. You learn to see the world through the lens of your hobby and wonder how your craft fits into it, or what you can glean from the world to use it. A hobbyist is always shooting, writing, sewing, tinkering and noticing. A photographer is constantly tilting their head looking for angles and composition or color coordinating. Then act on it. A writer is frequently attaching verbal descriptions to a situation and then document it.

“To write, I first must world”

– Laurel Schwulst

Any experience that can be seen as possibly mundane suddenly has meaning, such as grocery shopping, sitting in traffic or walking through the streets. This means they are alert, focused, awakened and deliberately taking their findings to be applied later as homework. Though this homework is not graded, it does help advance our self-induced education, and we are all the better for it.

Think Again

2022-05-19 11:39:11

When students confront complex problems, they often feel confused. A teacher’s natural impulse is to rescue them as quickly as possible so they don’t feel lost or incompetent. Yet psychologists find that one of the hallmarks of an open mind is responding to confusion with curiosity and interest. One student put it eloquently: “I need time for my confusion.” Confusion can be a cue that there’s new territory to be explored or a fresh puzzle to be solved.

The “I need time for my confusion.” quote is brilliant. How can we make time for our confusion? What are some ways we can process the information and then apply it when it is all sorted?
Journaling or blogging is a good start for me because it assists me in reflection. It is based on experience and driven by knowledge. Writing what I know or have learned about is refreshing. Even the fictitious Sherlock Holmes needed time to sort out confusion:

“It is quite a three pipe problem and I beg that you won’t speak to me for fifty minutes.”

Sherlock Holmes, The Red Headed League

That does it for me the next time I have confusion. I’ll grab my tobacco pipe and have a think while I walk for fifty minutes to sort it all out.

Long Live The iPod

2022-05-21 15:20:56

The iPod is a discontinued (as of May 10, 2022) portable media player designed by Apple in 2001. At 20 years, the iPod brand is the oldest device to be discontinued by Apple. It’s the end of an era, that’s for sure.

I fondly recall my first Sony Walkman that had the ability to not only listen to AM/FM radio, but play 90 minutes of music on cassette tape. We maxed in as many songs as we could on that tape drive, but it was never enough, so we had collections of cassette tapes lying around to keep track of.

And when Steve Jobs promised “thousands of songs in your pocket”, most of us were amazed and just.had.to.have.it. It was portable music freedom. I’ve owned three iPods, the original (sadly lost forever, a 5th generation classic iPod (shown below) and an iPod Touch that closely resembled an iPhone. My toddler daughter quickly assumed ownership of that last one.

After this month’s announcement, I decided to grab as many compact discs as I can find to then load onto my MacBook and transfer my songs to the iPod. It’s a multistep hassle for sure, but they are there. They are mine. I don’t have to pay a monthly subscription for them. I don’t need Wi-Fi or cellular connection to play them. There are no notifications or interruptions when I have those wired earbuds in. I’m amazed at how much I have relied on Bluetooth wireless AirPods and streaming music.

This 5th gen iPod was the first to play video, review photos and still retain the classic, iconic scroll wheel. Podcasts, audiobooks, videos, and photos are all synced to the device when plugged into my computer via iTunes. Can a podcast still be called a podcast without iPods? What do we call them now, “Netcasts?”

This iPod projects me back in time, and I am overwhelmed by the nostalgia. It feels less like a novelty item, but a more pure form of music ownership and enjoyment.

Long live the Apple iPod.

Ajar

2022-05-21 15:54:11

The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.

– Emily Dickinson

Stacked

2022-05-23 23:07:10

Exhaust

2022-05-23 23:12:31

“O my soul, Do not aspire to an immortal life, but exhaust the limits of the possible”

– Pindar Pythian III

Surreal

2022-05-24 08:24:57

Just Stop

2022-05-24 08:26:39

Disingenuous and insulting. Te tracking and selling of our data just for reading a website has got to stop.

Whirled About

2022-05-24 09:11:24

Give yourself time to learn something new and good, and cease to be whirled around.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Overthink Before I Act

2022-05-24 09:26:16

Give yourself time to learn something new and good, and cease to be whirled around.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

This website has seen a lot of documentation on tools, workflow, and productivity. I would rather not have a workflow, I don’t want to talk about it anymore and just do something rather than talk about the process or the tools used to achieve it. Less talking and more producing because I want to create.

Moreover, I, oscillate between digital and analog based on however I am feeling on any given day or hour, honestly Do I grab a digital camera and notate with Bear Notes or do I grab a film camera along with a pen and journal?

Of course, we all know that I will waffle and then proceed to discuss my tools, workflow, and productivity. This helps me understand the thought process when I look back through the Archives and to track progress.

Extra Extra!

2022-05-25 13:39:37

This website has a newsletter subscription. Now you too can get infrequent, rambling and just a tad insightful commentary on anything I feel like sharing in your e-mail inbox.

What will not be shared is your personal information, privacy, or advertising. I detest these violating practices and promise not to violate your trust.

So why a newsletter and why now? An easy question gets an easy reply: I am not on social media or writing to other publishing firms like I have in the past and therefore need to expand my “reach.”

The newsletter is a first effort hosted through my website and server host so it is def on the cheap. There will be a lot of learning, tweaks and formatting along the way.

The invitation to receive a newsletter <— can be done by clicking that link, will be at the bottom of every post (see below), and on the page footer (see even further below.)

This is a third option in an effort to connect and communicate using the tried and true internet protocols: e-mail, RSS and newsletter. Thanks for your interest!

RSS feed: https://chrisdenbow.website/feed

E-mail:  hello@chrisdenbow.website

KW Square

2022-05-25 16:07:19

Photo walk around Kendall-Whittier district in Tulsa, Oklahoma

See these and more on the photography website- Photo Denbow

Calaveras

2022-05-25 16:14:47

Double Exposed Reflections

2022-05-26 12:58:52

More street photography at PhotoDenbow.com

The Ideal Life

2022-05-26 16:26:29

Lately, I’ve been thinking of the optimal lifestyle and how to get the best out of life.

How can I better my existence?

An ideal lifestyle is one you have to define for yourself. So if I wanted to focus on creativity and photography, I will need to build this up for myself. Surround myself with the proper tools and investing into this lifestyle. I currently have a great home office, but I need a studio in which to set up and host portraiture somehow. Something simple, minimal and easily accessible. For now, it isn’t feasible, but it is certainly a goal of mine. Truth be told, I really want to double down on this idea, but unsure of how to progress towards it.

I need to be active. To create, act, explore and this involves time outside my home office, whatever that looks like such as- on the streets, at the pub, hiking, road trips, etc. I am at my happiest when I am out and about with a camera, trying to maximize fitness at the same time. Everything improves for me with this, including more thinking, more problems-solving and more idea creations. The more mobile for me, the better.

Now and in the future, I need to invest in myself. I can invest in the future, but what about right now? What can I do to make my world better today? What can I attempt or pursue today that will pay off immediately, as well as the future?

I must become more focused on the self and prioritize my needs and wants before it is too late. I’ve been focused on pleasing others that I may be missing out. Time to make myself and my creativity a priority.

For years, I have been sharing and publishing my craft and my words to the WWW, with varying results. In the past, there was interaction and engagement but with the invention of social media, the interaction has been limited. Weird how that works – social media without the socializing. I need to find a way to bridge the gap and start interacting with others again. There are three ways I have created here that can do just that – subscribe to the newsletter (see below), subscribe to the RSS feed and email (say hello@chrisdenbow.website)

Zen

2022-05-26 21:49:09

I’ll get there soon

Good Advice

2022-05-27 08:47:50

“Be a good steward of your gifts. Protect your time. Feed your inner life. Avoid too much noise. Read good books, have good sentences in your ears. Be by yourself as often as you can. Walk. Take the phone off the hook. Work regular hours.” 

– Jane Kenyon

1985 < 2022

2022-05-27 15:03:48

Digital Essentialism

2022-05-28 09:31:23

How is your digital life? Feeling overwhelmed by all the clutter in your inbox, hard drive and cloud service? I know I was.

Though I consider myself to be a minimalist essentialist, there does come a time when I get lazy and the discipline slides. Clutter, digital or otherwise, can get distracting over time. Now may be the perfect time to clean up your digital room, so to speak. If not daily, then weekly because a well-organized computer will yield positive results for your state of mind and your workflow productivity.

Here’s how to get started:

Backups

When was the last time you backed up your data? If you can’t remember, then it has been too long. I set a calendar reminder for once a week, then plug in the dedicated external hard drive, flip on Apple’s Time Machine and let it do its thing-creating and preserving a snapshot image of everything on the MacBook’s drive. Before all that, I suggest sorting through your Downloads folder and assign to a proper folder or delete. How are your other folders? Photos, Music, Videos, Documents all need to be sorted. Toss what you have been holding on to for some reason. After all that, then take out the Trash and delete everything in that folder.

Cloud

Just as the computer gets cleaned up, so too your Cloud backups. My Cloud mimics the desktop with everything in place. Run Time Machine again and ensure good backups.

Software

If you have dozens of software programs and apps, it is time to have a think about what you are actually using. If you haven’t used a program in say six months, then uninstall and free up space on your machine. It will thank you for it. Do you really need four calendar apps, two music players, three browsers and who else knows what? Pick the right tool for the job and stick with it. Uninstall the rest.

Desktop

A cluttered desktop can be overwhelming and distract from your focus and productivity. A messy computer desktop is akin to a messy physical desk. Nobody wants to see that. Sort that clutter into their respective folders, empty your Trash can folder and enjoy the serenity.

Web Browser

Now, wait just a damn minute, Chris. This is sacred. If I don’t have multiple tabs open or bookmarked, I run the risk of losing and forgetting them. I might even return to them…someday.

That mentality is an old way of thinking that needs to be corrected. You won’t go back to them. You don’t need it. One of these days, your browser’s memory will slow to a crawl, and you’ll be forced to reboot the thing and potentially lose all those open tabs you’ve been saving.

Inbox and RSS feeds

If you cringe every time you access your email inbox, then you are doing it wrong. Email should be assigned from an inbox to a folder, replied to or deleted. Don’t forget to take the trash out again when done. If the mail is piled up, and you are overwhelmed, most email applications have a search feature.

RSS feed readers are a remarkable resource to stay current on the websites and blogs you enjoy. Shameless plug inserted here- https://chrisdenbow.website/feed But how does your “Unread” count look? Either read the article or save it to the “Read It Later” folder. Everything else can be deleted. The same can be said for podcast episodes!

One Password To Rule Them All

I dislike passwords, and captchas and just about every modern day credential grabber. Who can keep track of them all? I used to and failed. Then I tried a third-party password manager. I only needed one password to log in to that, and every time I needed to sign in elsewhere, that application would pop up and log in for me. That was fun until their data center was hacked and everyone’s passwords were in the open. I currently use Apple’s Password manager.

I’m already signed in to an Apple account, so I don’t have to remember a password there. Any website I visit, the Password app is ready to log me in, or help me create a new username/password. Once credentialed, Passwords will retain the info and be ready to use again. All it requires is my Face ID or Touch ID.

The Takeaway

Our digital usage over multiple devices can overwhelm us, and we open ourselves up to clutter. Who has the time to organize when we just want to scroll a feed or watch a video? I find that currently we need to be more mindful. Digital simplicity, essentialism, and minimalism is more important than before.

2:45am

2022-05-29 03:47:59

Can’t sleep due to uncomfortability. Yes, it’s true that is not a real word. I’m tired. Having a hard time focusing on reading, writing or anything else while I am awake.

Currently 3:47am.

This sucks.

Analog Notes

2022-05-29 12:44:29

Following up on a previous post, I have too many unused paper journal notebooks in the form of Field Notes©. I need to frequently remind myself to use them, and this post intends to do just that. During the day, I’ll come to a point where I am exhausted sitting behind a computer screen and type. Then outcomes the pen and paper. Although some days lately I am getting more interested in paper rather than screens, but with both analog and digital, I can still create.

Digital notes are clean, minimal, and organized, whereas notebooks are scribbly, messy, and disorganized. That’s ok. They’re both aesthetically pleasing to me. Although I do realize that with doodles and strikethroughs that my paper journals are more mine than an app will be. Software note developers box you into a certain set of parameters, but in your notebook anything goes. You are in charge.

Notebooks don’t rely on batteries, an internet connection and no subscriptions. No forced upgrades and the format is time proof. It will still be there waiting on you to jot down your notes and doodles. If it is preserved properly, the journal will outlive you.

A paper journal will never require notification alerts and have a tactile feel that digital note-taking doesn’t. That feel of your writing implement against the uneven surface of the paper is more real than fingers string the keys on a screen.

Paper notebooks allow the ability to end and fold. You can chew it, set it on fire, cut snowflakes out of it or paper airplanes. Try that with any screen, and you’ll end up replacing the screen.

I’d rather draw marginalia faces, spirals, tacos, or flowers in the margins rather than rely on emoji in a straight line to express myself.

While I do find myself oscillating back and forth between analog and digital, the computers almost always wins out. But it is nice to know that if they fail, I have a wonderful backup device in my paper journal and typewriter.

The Cult Of Mac

2022-05-29 13:07:28

Yours truly was recently featured on a prominent website again. In the article, David was kind enough to feature the tools of my trade and how crucial a clean, minimal, dark and dedicated workspace enhances productivity and focus.

Special thanks to David Snow and the Cult of Mac publishers for showcasing my recent home office workspace, “Dark Mode.”

You can read all about it on their website. While you are there, check out their insightful articles and maybe even grab a few of their books too.

How To Become The Great Urban Photographer

2022-05-29 15:34:37

If you loosely apply Lomography’s ten golden rules, you’ll do just fine.

1. Take your camera with you everywhere you go.
2. Use your camera any time, day, or night.
3. Photography is not an interference of your life but a part of it
4. Shoot from the hip
5. Approach as closely as possible
6. Don’t think
7. Be fast
8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured
9. Or afterwords either
10. Don’t worry about any rules.

Number 10 may be the most important. Don’t listen to others, stay true to yourself and your artistic endeavor. There are plenty of rules that can and should be broken.

To those 10, I’ll remind you of another 10.

1. Luck, coincidence emergency and surprise are your friends.
2. Experimentation is exciting. Expect the unexpected. Or don’t!
3. Embrace the sensory effects of the street. Light, shadow, smells & sounds
4. Leave the grind behind. Focus on you and your subjects.
5. Street photos look better when printed. I prefer black and white.
6. Look again. If something spots your eye, but you pass on it…go back. Your first instinct is usually correct.
7. Let loose. Have fun.
8. Analog or film photography is making a comeback. Buy a cheap film camera.
9. Analog will seldom disappoint because it is unique and challenging.
10. Trust your senses over an LCD screen and electric sensors.
    

Urban, or street photography, combines what I love best. Walking, working with people, courage, risk-worthy opportunities and timing. Now grab your camera and start shooting!

The Internet Is Broken

2022-05-31 13:32:20

Anyone else noticed that today’s WWW is insufferable? I don’t specifically know when it turned, or why most users became jerks, but I’ll go ahead and guess about 2010. Making money off of content became more important than the content itself. This is a long post, but in short, the best way to fix it is to write good stuff and to be nice to other people. As the WWW was intended.

In the past, we got to enjoy content-rich websites created by people from all walks of life. They built and hosted their websites and networked with others to share their stuff, and it worked. Internet = interconnected. We learned from others, and we benefitted from other’s unique knowledge. Nowadays, there are advertisements everywhere, clickbait headlines as well as the tracking and selling of your private data and browsing habits. Where did all that good stuff go? To Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. etc.

Content creators, webmasters, and anyone with a hobby blog generally gave up and went the easy route of 180 character tweets and generic posts about what they ate and where on Facebook. Boring. People used to write, or photograph, or paint stuff that others would want to read. People used to write blogs, whether they were read or not, no one knew. Aficionados of every imaginable topic would research and post their findings for all to see.

When the tech conglomerates started to gather and consolidate web properties, the content was squeezed out. These platforms were nicknamed Web 2.0 as if version 1 needed upgrading. Version 2 was not an upgrade in my mind, in fact, it made the internet worse.

Ad-driven content became a thing. You had to pay to play. The more eyeballs and attention on your stuff can be monetized to the widest possible audience. The internet became deceptive and, oddly, less social. Users became mean and divisive because now there was perceived competition.

It is almost impossible to find good content on the WWW now. Type a topic of interest on a conglomerate-ran browser, and you’ll have to sort through at least two pages of the search to get to anything that isn’t ad-driven and would be relevant to your search.

When you do come across an interesting link, you are bombarded with sneaky and not so sneaky tactics to get your attention and your data. Web windows will pop up blocking the content, asking you to submit your personal info and subscribe. Pleas to purchase something that is offered. Advertisements litter the site with most, overwhelming the content you want to see. “Like me on Facebook”, Comment! Subscribe! Retweet! That is just what we see, but goes unseen is the amount of personal data that is collected and distributed to the tech conglomerates. Did you do a search on a medical symptom? Well now, the next website you visit will have a pop-up advertisement on a specific cream to help remedy that. It’s disgusting, invasive, and intolerable.

Where are people writing now instead of their own homegrown webpage? Social media. If you write on Facebook or post images to Instagram, the only people who can see it our the users on the platform. Have a business and your “website” is only a Facebook business page? Half of your potential customers cannot see it unless they are a Facebook user. No, thanks. Instead, people are writing out their limited thoughts on a limited platform that does nothing to further a conversation. That is, if you can actually see it on the FB platform. Facebook’s algorithm guarantees your content will be buried in favor of something they claim is more interesting (read that as attention-getting and therefore more potential ad revenue for them.)

I won’t continue on about how the political and social media outlets combined are divisive and spiteful. I stopped both after the 2016 election, and I am blissfully ignorant.

All this wasted time, effort, content, and energy spent on these proprietary platforms do nothing for the individual except to make themselves money.

What’s the fix?

Create your own website. WordPress has free (with ads) hosting options as a start. Or you can use WordPress on your own hosted site. Web hosts and your domain name makes it yours and on the cheap.

Write or post anything you’d like. It’s yours to do with as you please.

Network. Reach out to other like-minded people and build each other up.

If you must use social media, put your content on your site first, then distribute to those outlets. Add a link back to your website and point potential followers there instead. POSSE: “Post On Site, Syndicate Elsewhere.”

Send the website owner an encouraging email.

Comment on a post of theirs.

Subscribe to their RSS feed and don’t miss a thing.

Use ad-blockers, browsers that promote privacy and mean it, and a VPN.

And finally, make good content to share for anyone who may take an interest and be nice to others.