Debugging, in computer programming and engineering, is a multi-step process that involves identifying a problem, isolating the source of the problem and then either correcting the problem or determining a way to work around it. The final step of debugging is to test the correction or workaround and make sure it works.
Each month, and the corresponding day, I will run a systems diagnostic and report on either the overall performance or list any bugs that may still need to be addressed. The first diagnostic and reporting will be done on February 2nd or 2/2. The following will be on March 3 or 3/3, etc etc until December 12 (12/12.) Then one year from now on 12/31/2024 I will run more more systems check and prepare for another hard reset.
This is the first diagnostic check of 2024 on the personal operating system.1
There are a few known issues, or bugs in my personal life that I need to identify, isolate and correct the problem.
Bug #1: To maximize system performance, I need to focus on the overall health of the personal operating system and that is to stay physically fit. Sure, the outdoor work that I do does help but there is more I can do. Time to access the walking and yoga sub-routines. These will both be done on a daily basis. Yoga in the morning to stretch out and purposeful walking for cardio.
Bug #1 Performance Analysis: fail. Sure, the weather was too cold everywhere I went to enjoy walking but this is a flimsy excuse. Yoga practice was a total of 2 out of 31 days in the new year so far.
Bug #1 Task prior to 3/3: Walk a minimum of five minutes daily to get the blood flowing. Yoga a minimum of 15 days out of February’s 29 days2
Bug #2: Nutrition is a crucial component to all of this because I have not eaten well the last quarter of 2023. 2024 will be a rocky start since I will be traveling for work but I will be mindful and look for healthier food options.
Bug #2 Performance Analysis: Critical. I am back on the road and do indulge in fast food. But to note, I have consumed a lot of salads, grilled meats and healthier choices.
Bug #2 Task prior to 3/3: Maintain or improve current intake of greens and meats.Limit sugar. I do need to watch the salt intake as it corrupts the personal OS.
Bug #3: Smoking pipe tobacco and drinking alcohol is inserting bad code into my system and so, once again, I will work towards debugging those substances to enhance system performance.
Bug #3 Performance Analysis: Critical. Back on the tobacco pipe while on the road, but also drinking no alcohol.
Bug #3 Task prior to 3/3: …
Inputs
Other applications will be used to maintain the mental health of my personal operating system such as:
Reading (finished 3 books in January!)
Creative writing ( writing almost daily!)
Journaling (maybe 3 times a week)
Meditation (daily!)
Overall, these benchmarks for analyzing and evaluating overall performance will help maintain my personal operating system for years to come.
Last week I ventured out to celebrate the ancient “Chinese New Year”, and then realized that a majority of Asian nations also celebrate but collectively call it “Lunar New Year.”
Parade on the Avenida de Americas in downtown HoustonDragon + Lion dances through the paradeAsia Town/International District/Houston/TexasRed envelopes filled with small money bills are gifts to signify wealth & prosperity for the new yearAsia Town/International District/Houston/Texas
Now on to Houston’s Galleria District for indoor celebrations
All this walking and shooting had me ravenous for some wok pork and noodles. Washed down with Tsingtao beer of course.
While editing this article I was enjoying this soundtrack:
Next week I’ll share some highlights of the nearly 1000’s of murals decorating Houston.
再见, - Chris
Lunar New Year Photos
2024-02-04 20:02:52
Chinese dance troupe inside the Houston Galleria
Asia Town/International District/Houston/Texas
Red envelopes filled with small money bills are gifts to signify wealth & prosperity for the new year
This book, like the Rabbits novel is not an easy read and requires patience and concentration. There are so many layers and even a soundtrack to listen to complete the novel (much like the Rabbits podcast). This will take some time
Off Road
2024-02-11 22:29:25
Or, why I am done traveling for work
Since October 2023, I have been traveling for work at a grand total of fifteen weeks. Fifteen weeks of lonely nights in cheap hotels, a measly per diem that allows for groceries and fast food only and a longing for home. From Cincinnati, Ohio to Houston, Texas and all points in between.
This next week will be my last run before I turn in my truck and equipment back home into an uncertain future.
I say uncertain because eventually, I will be back on the road but this time to move cross country to the gulf coast of Florida and a new life. I do not know where I will be employed, what I will be doing or if this is a smart move. It feels right and I want a new life with new opportunities and a launching point for another location out of the country.
But first, I have five more days to get through.
Happy trails,
The Silver Fox
Reboot
2024-02-13 15:29:00
The idea of creating a brand new, anonymous digital identity was a good idea, until I decided it wasn’t. This wasn’t the first time I have flipped/flopped from a generic and private website, back to a domain with my own name in it. Currently it is silverfox.website. And now, I have decided that it is time to revert to what you see here, chrisdenbow.website. After recent price increases, subscription fatigue, privacy concerns and probably long overdue contentment, it’s time for a change. I’ll be withdrawing more from technology, technology blogs and restructuring everything to maximize privacy, reduce monthly subscription spending and pursuing avenues of personal interest.
I am heavily embedded into the Apple eco-system after decades of using Windows/Android. I have stuff scattered all over the internet, cloud storage and external hard drives with almost zero organization. That’s changing as of today.
I purchased a new web (chrisdenbow.website) and email address (hello AT chrisdenbow.website) to match it and then made THAT one the new/updated Apple ID. The hard part is switching everything from contact information to businesses and services I use over to the new account. Sure, I’ll lose a lot of subscriptions, but I am pairing them down and prioritizing anyway.
With iCloud+ services such as Private Relay and “Hide My Email” I can create generic, disposable email addresses. Apple then allows me to use random, generic passwords and will even store them for me using their KeyChain.
When all of this is sorted I need to discipline myself to keep it organized, unlike my previous attempts. Maybe then I can get back to enjoying what I love in peace such as photography, reading and geocaching.
This post was written with this song playing in the background:
Off Road
2024-02-14 03:07:49
Or, why I am done traveling for work
Since October 2023, I have been traveling for work at a grand total of fifteen weeks. Fifteen weeks of lonely nights in cheap hotels, a measly per diem that allows for groceries and fast food only and a longing for home. From Cincinnati, Ohio to Houston, Texas and all points in between.
Cincinnati, OhioGalveston Island, Texas
This next week will be my last run before I turn in my truck and equipment back home into an uncertain future.
I say uncertain because eventually, I will be back on the road but this time to move cross country to the gulf coast of Florida and a new life. I do not know where I will be employed, what I will be doing or if this is a smart move. It feels right and I want a new life with new opportunities and a launching point for another location out of the country.
But first, I have five more days to get through. I was listening to this while I was typing the article.
Happy trails,
Chris
On Meditation
2024-02-17 07:29:49
The time to start taking care of myself is past due. Now that I have some time to focus on myself (not selfishly), I want to start with the simplest option and one of the most rewarding- meditation.
A basic method is to focus your attention on your own breathing—a practice simply called “mindful breathing.” After setting aside time to practice mindful breathing, you’ll find it easier to focus attention on your breath in your daily life—an important skill to deal with stress, high blood pressure, and negative emotions. This also helps with concentration.
Time required:
Let’s start out with at least 5 minutes daily for a week, keeping in mind that meditation mindfulness increases with practice
How to do it
Preferably sitting in a quiet space either in a comfortable chair, the bed or even a car seat (great for those long traffic light waits.) Your eyes may be open or closed, but you may find it easier to maintain your focus if you close your eyes.
Mentally focus on your head, will yourself to relax the tension there, then go lower to your neck and shoulders. Keep going until your toes are relaxed.
Then just simply do what you’ve done since birth. Breathe. Relax and inhale the delicious oxygen.
Sure, your body may be calm, but your mind is all over the place because it isn’t use to peace, quiet and a lack of distraction. Just redirect your thoughts to the feelings of your lungs expanding and deflating rhythmically.
Keep it simple, don’t overthink it. Repeat this practice as needed, but definitely do it daily.
Breathing guide in Apple Watch
If you have an Apple Watch, there is an app dedicated to Mindfulness and specifically breathing. Set a reminder in the app to schedule this practice. I have mine set to 6am & 6pm.
Woosah,
Chris
I was listening to this while I was editing the article:
Like any new move there is going to be some things that are unpacked such as my archives that go back to 2001, a few design tweaks (like fresh coats of paint, wallpapering), and the constant re-arranging of furniture.
While I wanted the previous Silver Fox persona to shield my privacy and anonymity, it was a fun experiment but that was the problem, it wasn’t me. Since 2001, this website was all about me. I wrote it for myself first, but people eventually tagged along and joined me as I threw my life out there. Then the guests grew to almost a thousand visitors coming and going as they pleased and I was trying to be a good host but it didn’t matter. More on that later, but now, it is time for a tour of the new place. Yes, I know I write this for myself, but eventually I will have guests, so why be rude and not show them around?
First stop, the Pages
As my website analytics show (don’t worry, I don’t track or use this information for nefarious reasons, that’s rude), most people come to visit on their mobile devices. If this is you, then you are able to click the two horizontal bars in the upper right hand corner. This is the menu bar that displays all of the pages. If you are visiting on a computer, which I suggest to get the full effect, the menu bar is up top in the middle. Up first, is the Archives.
Menu Bar as seen on mobile devicePage view on mobile device
Archives
A backlog of articles from 2001 to present. Coming soon.
Bookshelf (formerly The Library)
Since this website is all about me, you get to have a peak into my life such as what I am reading or have read in the recent past. In here I have a list of books of 24 books in 2024 to read. I have read five so far and I am ahead of the curve so far and have even given them a 1-5 star review. You’ll also see what I am currently reading and down below, books I have re-shelved after use.
Colophon
The Colophon page tells a story of how this website has been designed, updated and by which tools I have used to create. Along with a contact section to reach out to me. I love emails and I love responding to them even more. This helps make my site better so feel free to drop me a line to hello @ chrisdenbow.website
Photography
When you click on this page, it will automatically re-direct you to my digital photography studio website, SilverFox Photography. Yes, eventually I will want to move that back to photodenbow.com, but that will be further down the road. Until then, take a look at my photo portfolio while there? But bookmark that for later, because there is more of this new home to show you.
Podcast (formerly The FoxCast)
It wouldn’t do to have a Foxcast when that old site goes away, would it? Say hello to the Radio Denbow podcast. The format is still the same, however. Photography, book reviews, geocaching or anything else I find interesting, all in 5 minutes or less.
Read.me (formerly About)
In software development, a Read.me file is a small text file that is part instruction manual and part introduction to the code writer of that software. Here, it is a little insight about me.
Home
Clicking this will simply bring you back to the front door of the website.
On Desktop
If you are not visiting with your mobile device but on a computer instead, you will enjoy a much better view. All the pages are on display at the top, the images are wider and more visibly pleasing.
Desktop view of website
RSS Feed
There are multiple ways to consume this website and all can be enjoyable, one of these is called Really Simple Syndication (RSS.) All of my websites have the ability to send code to a feed aggregator into the feed reader of your choice. I use both FeedBin and Reeder. Think of them as a podcast player but for text. Mine is chrisdenbow.website/rss/ so every time I post an article here, you do not have to come back to this website, you can read it in your feed reader, along with all the other websites you have chosen to enjoy with no ads, no tracking. RSS is the backbone of the old internet and is still thriving to this day. Advertisers hate it because they haven’t figured out how to monetize it after all these years.
Easy subscription form.
Subscription
That word, subscription, has bad connotations these days, but not here, no way. If you want to stay up on the latest articles, you can have them delivered to your email inbox instead. As I have always said, no spam. No advertising. No B.S. not ever. Your information and privacy never leaves my web server or will get sold.
By subscribing, you also have the ability to leave a comment on any web article. I highly encourage this. The internet, the WWW, was founded on websites. The social web, not social media is where it is at. It was done by linking to each other and commenting on everyone’s own website. If you like an article, tell me! If you want to share something related to an article, then please do!
Subscription options for commenting, and receiving articles. Please do so.
Newsletter
By subscribing, you will have access to a special email, one article that is separate from the website. A blend of text and photography that doesn’t have a place on either my text or photography websites. It will be more personal.
Successful test of a published newsletter. Apologies for the goofy-ass image, it WAS a test
Navigation
Search Feature- if you click the magnifying glass, you can search by topic and it will pull up any article using that reference.
If you click on an article category such as “Reading” or “Journal” or “Photography” in an article it will display all articles that have been referenced.
Category reference and search features
Finally, at the bottom of every article, there are 1-3 other articles of interest to prompt you to read if interested.
ChrisDenbow.website is managed on a virtual Ghost server and maintained by myself.
The color mode does automatically shift between day and night modes for easier reading. I am proud of that particular feature :)
The colors and fonts used here are inspired by the Mercedes Formula 1 racing team.
Man, that is a sexy car.
Change Log & Version History
24-02-11: Version 1.0 installed onto Ghost server
I was listening to this brilliant and technically perfect album while editing this article:
Now What?
2024-02-17 21:15:02
My first day back from work travel has already been a pretty full day. Lately, when these precious unscheduled hours present themselves, I usually suffer from paralysis of choice in deciding how to fill them.
Hmm, what can I do…
Read and nap. Or it’s likely I’ll just read and never fall asleep.
Really do enjoy a long-overdue nap.
Write something for my website
Work on the design of my website.
Research some of the ideas that my books generate
Start working on one of 35 novels I have already begun.
I could/should unpack.
Catch up on streaming tv.
Rid my clothes of that travel funk and do laundry.
Delete my old Apple ID account and reclaim my HomeKit devices to the new account.
Rewrite my C.V. since I’ll need one soon.
Practice yoga and/or stretching since I was on my ass most of the day traveling.
Clear out the Inbox.
But first setup the MX mail records on my mail server to the new email address.
Build out my new Mac Mini aka “Minnie” as a web, file, RSS, mail and photo server
And then…
And then…
Obviously, I went with writing this article instead. So again, now what?
I wrote this article while listening to this:
Quick Note
2024-02-17 23:06:56
I am amazed at modern technology that allows me to build my own publishing house with an iPad and a few software applications.
Finally I have streamlined and organized the ability to publish articles, newsletters and podcasts on one device for the entire world to see if so inclined.
Case in point, I am writing this on an iPhone.
PhotoDenbow
2024-02-18 02:09:21
The restoration and rebranding of my portfolio website is now complete. Formerly known as “Silver Fox Photography” at silverfox.photography, it is back again to photodenbow.com. Now when you click on the Photography page at the top here, it will redirect you to the new website. Go check it out if inclined.
I even slapped a dark mode on to the site.
Issue #1
2024-02-18 11:27:42
2024-02-18
*Author’s Note: I have published this e-mailed newsletter here on the website as a preview/promotion of what to expect when you subscribe For a grand total of $0. Forever.
Hello and welcome to the first edition of this newsletter. Every weekend I plan on sending an update or insight to things that I find interesting from the previous week. It is entirely possible that you may find it interesting as well. If you have something to share based on what you’ve compared to reading here, by all means, comment and share. Now, on to those interesting things…
Lost Libraries Of The Silk Road https://www.servinglibrary.org/journal/12/lost-libraries A British researcher drives solo on a motorbike at the beginning of the silk roads trade routes of China to Italy on a quest to discover ancient Chinese libraries.
Banksy, the infamous mural artist and political provocateur visits and paints up the war-torn Gaza Strip. “A local man came up and said ‘Please – what does this mean?’ I explained I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my website – but on the internet people only look at pictures of kittens.” - Banksy https://streetartutopia.com/2024/01/18/street-art-by-banksy-in-gaza-palestine/
A quick view of the word Derive. "a mode of experimental behaviour linked to the conditions of urban society: a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9rive Great for those of us who enjoy walking through urban areas to discover everything around us.
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” ― Ernest Hemingway. I recently ended a ten year, 100% accurate and technically perfect career last week. How do I top that for the next decade?
I have been doing a deep dive into the longest #1 album on the charts and a technically perfect LP, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon#Background I’ve been fascinated by the continuity, the operatic music and more.
And that is it for the first edition of the newsletter. Each week I will share something of interest, well, things that I find interesting in hopes that you discover something interesting as well. I will also, in the future, share photographic stories. Hopefully to your enjoyment.
Until next week…
Chris
Thanks for reading. This newsletter is an algorithm-free, advertising-free, monetarily-free, completely reader-supported and hand-rolled joint of a publication.
Pause, Stop, Off.
2024-02-18 12:49:34
It is time for us to create a “television escape club” and it is past time to do whatever we want. During my work travels for the past 15 weeks, I rarely streamed any movies or shows. The hotel televisions gathered dust and I ignored the basketball and football games blaring at restaurants while dining out. ”Oh, there was a Super Bowl?” I remember the hotel concierge asking why I was not watching the match and describing me as she smiled as ”very un-American.” I will take this compliment with a smile of my own.
Do I feel a sense of superiority in all of this(?), not at all. This is simply a choice to remove myself from unproductive viewing. I’d rather read a book these days because my mind can generate those scenes far better than any special effects shown on a screen.
There will be exceptions of course such as the 2024 season of Formula 1 racing as they wave the green flag in Bahrain this next weekend. I’ve already been promised we will re-subscribe and enjoy each race as they travel the world until November. Side note: How the hell do you do better than Team Red Bull winning 22 out of 23 races in 2023?? It’ll be thrilling to find out this season.
Formula 1 racing in Abu Dhabi, 2023
There are several books with film adaptations I want to see soon.
Occasionally I’ll stream some brilliant but stupid television show as well.
The idea is to not plop down out of boredom and mindlessly scroll through the tv menu looking for options to waste my time or be lazy. No, the times I spend in front of the tube will be mindful and deliberate.
I would really like to remove a television from our bedroom in favor of watching the television in the living room instead, but I have been currently outvoted. Hopefully this changes soon, like say, during an upcoming move and oops, the screen has cracked or the unit dropped.
Other alternatives include not seeking out new things to watch or not subscribing to new streaming options.
Speaking of options, I am really looking forward to a healthier lifestyle soon and I cannot do this in front of a television.
While typing up this article I was enjoying this album:
Two Essential Apps
2024-02-18 22:18:54
Day One- Over the previous ten years I have enjoyed using this journaling app and just re-subscribed. I appreciate the attention to logging every detail that may be used in context with, well, the text I input. Details such as the music I was listening to, the location, weather, fitness activities and more.
An inside look into my digital journal using Day One.
Book Tracker- Quite simply, one of the best purchases I have made to remind me of what I have read that includes stats, reading progress, reading goals, what I plan to read next, track the physical library I have on my shelves, etc. Adding tags to help me catalog specifics such as what year I have read a book, and where it was consumed such as physical, Kindle, Kobo, audio, etc.
Books read for my 2024 reading goals and books I am currently reading to the left
Death Before Inadequacy
2024-02-19 11:18:20
“Don't be afraid of death so much as an inadequate life.”
— Bertolt Brecht
"Idleness makes hours pass slowly and years swiftly. Activity makes the hours short and the years long."
“Minnie” is all setup to host and share any number of photos, music, videos and documents to any of my (and Sweet T’s) iDevices. Even better, I will have the ability to retrieve these documents from anywhere in the world as long as I have access to an internet connection.
And now for the moment of truth...will it work?Of course it did(!), I am brilliant. And here is the setup configuration as seen from Minnie's screen.Offsite backup? Yessss...
In the near future I will migrate all of my website code and documents on to Minnie and use it as a cheap, self-hosting website.
Time Machine back-ups of all of my hard disks, will be stored and easily retrieved if necessary. (Hopefully it won’t be necessary)
I will also be able to host and serve all of my own Podcast files as opposed to relying on a third-party file host that I pay for.
And then, I can run and publish other sites I need including my own RSS server.
All of this is designed for easy access, off-site backups/restoration, and file sharing with family/friends. Which reminds me, eventually I will allow access so family members can view/download our family’s images. “Hey Chris, do you have those pics from that 2012 Christmas party?” Yep, go fetch!
This book, like the Rabbits novel is not an easy read and requires patience and concentration. There are so many layers and even a soundtrack to listen to complete the novel (much like the Rabbits podcast). This will take some time.
Debugging, in computer programming and engineering, is a multi-step process that involves identifying a problem, isolating the source of the problem and then either correcting the problem or determining a way to work around it. The final step of debugging is to test the correction or workaround and make sure it works.
Each month, and the corresponding day, I will run a systems diagnostic and report on either the overall performance or list any bugs that may still need to be addressed. The first diagnostic and reporting will be done on February 2nd or 2/2. The following will be on March 3 or 3/3, etc etc until December 12 (12/12.) Then one year from now on 12/31/2024 I will run more more systems check and prepare for another hard reset.
This is the first diagnostic check of 2024 on the personal operating system.1
There are a few known issues, or bugs in my personal life that I need to identify, isolate and correct the problem.
Bug #1: To maximize system performance, I need to focus on the overall health of the personal operating system and that is to stay physically fit. Sure, the outdoor work that I do does help but there is more I can do. Time to access the walking and yoga sub-routines. These will both be done on a daily basis. Yoga in the morning to stretch out and purposeful walking for cardio.
Bug #1 Performance Analysis: fail. Sure, the weather was too cold everywhere I went to enjoy walking but this is a flimsy excuse. Yoga practice was a total of 2 out of 31 days in the new year so far.
Bug #1 Task prior to 3/3: Walk a minimum of five minutes daily to get the blood flowing. Yoga a minimum of 15 days out of February’s 29 days2
Bug #2: Nutrition is a crucial component to all of this because I have not eaten well the last quarter of 2023. 2024 will be a rocky start since I will be traveling for work but I will be mindful and look for healthier food options.
Bug #2 Performance Analysis: Critical. I am back on the road and do indulge in fast food. But to note, I have consumed a lot of salads, grilled meats and healthier choices.
Bug #2 Task prior to 3/3: Maintain or improve current intake of greens and meats.Limit sugar. I do need to watch the salt intake as it corrupts the personal OS.
Bug #3: Smoking pipe tobacco and drinking alcohol is inserting bad code into my system and so, once again, I will work towards debugging those substances to enhance system performance.
Bug #3 Performance Analysis: Critical. Back on the tobacco pipe while on the road, but also drinking no alcohol.
Bug #3 Task prior to 3/3: …
Inputs
Other applications will be used to maintain the mental health of my personal operating system such as:
Reading (finished 3 books in January!)
Creative writing ( writing almost daily!)
Journaling (maybe 3 times a week)
Meditation (daily!)
Overall, these benchmarks for analyzing and evaluating overall performance will help maintain my personal operating system for years to come.
Next Systems Diagnostic will be on 3/3.
While writing this I was listening to:
Human Feeders
2024-02-20 19:24:43
I think it was Kleon who used the phrase "human bird feeders" to describe those places that attract and feed us. A Little Free Library certainly counts as a feeding place. We ventured out for some geocaching after lunch today and had a 2-for-1 special in that while we were looking for a hidden cache it was inside the LFL. Bonus: I found a title that is currently on my "to be read" list called Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Now I can scratch that one off of my public library hold request list.
I can also check two more geocaches from local hiding places. Love it.
What are some other "human bird feeders" that attract us and make us pause?
Sneaky hideEasy grab and go cache hidden under a rock
Thirst Quencher
2024-02-20 20:58:25
“Everything we’re forced to learn at school we quickly forget, but the things we set out to learn ourselves — to quench a thirst — are never forgotten, and inevitably become an important part of our existence.” —Werner Herzog
.pdf
2024-02-24 00:09:28
You'd think I could easily find a .pdf of this hardcover book about... the Portable Document Format to download and read. Nope.
Hello and welcome to the second edition of this newsletter. Every Sunday morning, I intend to send an update or insight to things that I find interesting from the previous week, just like your Sunday morning newspaper. It is entirely possible that you may find it appealing as well. If you have something to share based on what you’ve compared to reading here, certainly, comment and share.
It has been one week since I returned from the road and turned in my notice to end my career, so I am in limbo. When people ask what I have been doing, the response is always “keeping busy.” For some reason, a quote from the excellent novel and movie The Shawshank Redemption is percolating in my brain lately: “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin.” I prefer the former, of course.
I miss the idea of creating and hosting small photography conferences in several cities — RIP PhotoCamp. The same goes for photography clubs such as the Texas Shooters (I love seeing it grow larger after I left Houston, knowing it is in good hands) and also Shots here in Tulsa. Photowalks with friends where we just walk, talk and shoot. I learned so much from those people. So when someone asked me what my dream job would be? Owning a small studio/office space for me and with a community photo lab for analog & digital photo labs. With space for individuals to sit and work on their projects surrounded by fellow creatives, a meeting room, maybe even have a space carved out for a small café during the day and a mini bar in the evenings. I’d call it “The Dark Room”, naming it after the film photo labs where the images are developed in darkness and the smell of developer chemicals are in the air.
Expired: book clubs. Tired: coffee & book clubs. Wired: Content Club. Where people gather to discuss things of interest that they have discovered such as a book or articles they are reading, the podcast they have been binging, even something they have seen and found share-worthy. The idea being someone from the group could be inspired to read/listen/watch what was shared. The ongoing goal being natural, organic growth in the group and not from an algorithm on a social platform.
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”― Ernest Hemingway. Do you want to save the world and resolve problems? Start with yourself.
And that is it for the edition #2 of the newsletter. Each week I will share something of interest, well, things that I find interesting in hopes that you discover something interesting as well. I will also, in the future, share photographic stories. Hopefully, to your enjoyment.
Until next week…
Chris
F1 2024
2024-02-25 16:45:40
Subscription renewed and I am ready for a new season with 24 races around the world. Up first, Bahrain.
Mercedes + McLaren
The Anti-soda Water Club
2024-02-25 17:08:40
Sign me up for a variety of reasons such as health and unjustified cost increase. Back to sparkling water and teas for me please. 🥤🖕🏻
The Art Of Un-Noticing
2024-02-20 19:57:39
One of my favorite writers, Rob Walker, has a brilliant book on my shelves (thanks, Mom) titled "The Art Of Noticing: 131 ways to spark creativity, find inspiration and discover joy in the everyday." He also has an excellent weekly newsletter I subscribe to in my RSS feeds.
Anyway, I've been doing some initial thinking of ways we can practice ignoring or not giving notice to those that would take away our time and attention in unhealthy ways. The first few culprits are adverts everywhere, social media and television.
What are some other distractions we can hide our eyes and ears from to regain that creativity, inspiration and joy?
I'll be back with more on this after some proper thought.
Stereo Denbow
2024-02-22 13:28:49
For the past few months I have been slowly acquiring digital music files cheaply either through small purchases at record stores or through local libraries. The idea being is to minimize subscriptions and future costs.
The feeling of taking old media and converting it into new media formats takes me back to the days of LPs, cassettes and CDs where you would insert the media format onto a player, set it to the desired side or song and then study the inside jacket for the band's cover art/bio/lyrics as the music played. Today I slide compact discs into the Apple SuperDrive CD reader connected to the MacBook Pro (aka Mac), and do the same thing- study the over art/bio/lyrics as the files are converted. Eject, plug a new compact disc in and then overtime, your digital library grows.
Then all of these freshly ripped music files are transferred quickly via the internal home network to be stored inside my local server (Minnie.)
Now whenever I need to I can stream/download these files to my iPhone and/or iPod and be on my merry musical way.
Recent haul from a local library and the SuperDrive on bottom.
While editing this post I was listening to an album I ripped:
Connecting Ideas
2024-02-22 14:19:20
There have been some questions/discussions about my research-thinking-writing process and I thought I would address them here. First step is to gain input. I read voraciously- not just books but articles from other critical thinkers on a wide variety of subjects up and down the Dewey Decimal System. There is zero chance I can remember all of this input so I dump them into my custom built personal database that I call "Grey Matter" where I can retrieve at will.
The process is extensive but worth it. I'll read something of interest and make notes and highlights which immediately transfers into my digital brain. Inside there I wrote code scripts to organize and catalog these ideas to be referenced for later.
Connected ideas on one subject in a customized graph viewAnother view of connected ideas on a specific subject for easier referenceHighlights & notes automagically imported into my digital brain for reference
0:00
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Mesmerizing look inside my brain at how ideas are connected and grow on each other.
Personal knowledge management, or digital asset management can be daunting but if it is set up correctly to connect ideas and go down the rabbit hole of new thoughts. It is amazing to me to come across an article and then be immediately capable of connecting those thoughts expressed into my own while completely connecting them to other thoughts for an entirely new line of thought.
Regarding Reading
2024-02-23 02:06:07
I will make lists of books I want to read for the upcoming year as a guide and promptly ignore it in favor of following wherever my heart and brain take me instead.
The books on the nightstand and shelf will eventually be read, if only I stop adding to them. But I know I won’t stop adding to them.
Reading does not make me superior.
Reading, instead, makes me feel inferior as I have much to learn and sort out how to apply.
Bookstores, libraries, junk shops are labyrinths for the mind I plan on getting lost in every time.
I will make time for reading, in the same way I make time for food
I will read whatever I find interesting including novels, short stories, blog posts, essays, biographies, magazines, etc.
I will try not to prejudge or set expectations before read something.
I will practice marginalia by highlighting and notating sentences and paragraphs that reach out to me.
I will re-read books just like I would have songs on a playlist or re-watch movies.
I will make lists of books I want to read for the upcoming year as a guide and promptly ignore it in favor of following wherever my heart and brain take me instead.
I will try to bring a book with me at all times. (E-books are great for this)
I will read whatever I feel like without hesitation or guilt.
I will read whatever I find interesting including novels, short stories, blog posts, essays, biographies, magazines, etc.
I will not allow an author to waste my time and allow myself to label a read as “did not finish”
It’s okay to put a book down and go off to do something physical. The book will be there when I get back.
Do I want to read more biographies? Will I learn something or is it propaganda?
I have a smile on my face after finishing a book and immediately pick up the next one with the same energy.
When I find a book that I enjoy, I will make an effort to read other titles by the same author. Maybe even try to discover their influences and read those too.
I will turn off notifications and distractions
I will not finish books “just because”
I have to accept that is impossible to read everything I want to.
I enjoy book reviews and discussions of books if done correctly. I will download and skim samples of a book, including the Table of Contents before deciding to purchase.
I will follow up on what people suggest after I ask them what they are reading.
I will keep, document, and share what I am reading and maybe even explain why.
I am trying to sort out how to not only post these quick notes in a different format but to also have them show up all on one page. Think Twitter/X but as an experiment. Check out more on the Notes page.
Novel Progress
2024-02-23 21:25:07
I have been an avid reader since I can remember, and that memory goes back quite the distance. And in that whole time I’ve always felt that there is a story for me to tell, something that hasn’t been written yet and it was up to me to tell it since no one else will. The trick is to tell a compelling story that is unique or maybe offer a small twist. I do not have lofty aspirations nor fancy myself as a brilliant writer- at all.
Now that the disclaimer is out there I can proceed.
The idea of a my first novel came from a photo book documenting the Angkor province of Cambodia from the Khmer Empire, a topic that hardly anyone knows anything about so of course I was intrigued and have been pursuing research and ideas on how to tell a story there. That has been burned in my brain for the past thirty years.
During this past month I was in a hotel room alone with my thoughts and there were plenty of thoughts for other novel ideas. Work by day then come back to the hotel at night to read and write. As I said, for one month I have generated almost thirty-five (35!) novel ideas and concepts. I have even gone so far as to come up with plot lines from start to finish on most of these. At least ten unique characters to be interjected as well.
To break them down I’d say at least 20 of these are novel sized with the remaining 15 are more like individual short stories that can/will be combined into one overall story with a common theme.
My brain and fingers are swollen from over use but I am pleased.
There are so many issues though with the most difficult being- which story do I want to start first? Which one do I invest my time in research and development? Should I start on a smaller series and build from those small victories?
Check up on some of the progress on my Writing page above.
Geocaching Update
2024-02-24 15:52:05
Not only can you discover hidden canisters full of trinkets around the globe, half of the appeal in Geocaching is hiding caches yourself and watch others enjoy your discovery. It's fun to see people sign the logs, grab a trinket, take a trinket and add images to the cache's digital logs.
Sadly, however, things happen to these hidden caches such as weather or muggles (non-players.) I had to archive another hide this morning so now I am only down to two. I have a few more hides I need to scout locations for and create but I am waiting for other things to happen first.
Only two left, not counting the virtual caches I have created (not shown)This little sucker has traveled almost 1,200 miles!GeoDenbow's Globe-trotting Travel Bug #TB2AEXRA sneaky hide underneath a highway guardrail
I have a lot to read lately and have given up on the idea that I will ever be able to finish every title I want to in my lifetime.
To Err...
2024-02-25 15:13:05
Remind me to never write anything when I am tired. Mistakes are made, even when I rely on my writing software to analyze grammatical and spelling errors. That last Newsletter was littered with errors. Apologies.
What Have I Done?
2024-02-26 14:37:43
I have made a mess of things while trying to simplify.
I let a domain name expire that also had a custom email address attached to it and according to my domain registrar, lost both to a third party who scooped up that domain name so I no longer have access to it.
Therefore preventing me to do what I need to do with some of my Apple devices and old Apple ID.
Henceforth, this current domain, chrisdenbow.website and its associated email address, hello [at] chrisdenbow.website is here to stay forever.
If I want simplicity, then I really should take a few steps backward and just go analog everything and I am tempted to do so! (not yet.)
What Have I Done? (2)
2024-02-27 00:59:55
With Apple support, I have gained partial access to some devices except my MacBook and AirPods.
Apparently they are signed in on another, older Apple ID.
I have been attempting to add/drop devices onto old ID and try again on new ID but now the password suddenly fails on the old ID? I call BS as I wait one hour for a security reset.
Getting closer to all analog all the time.
Post-Process
2024-02-27 08:31:23
I just said goodbye to the $112 Adobe Lightroom annual subscription, again. Now I need to dismantle my Portfolio. I’ll let the $75 annual Flickr subscription lapse to and see which of the 47k+ images they’ll cull down to 1,000 on a free account.
This leaves me with nowhere to post my photos since I really do not want to do that on my blog. Not that it matters because no one sees them anyway.
📸
UPDATE 2024/02/27: I have decided to go with an inexpensive, self-hosting option on my server using the Piwigo template. Right now it is basic and barebones, but I will build it out over time. For now, here it is naked: http://www.photodenbow.com
Why bother with any of it?
However, I will save money and time by not futzing with any of it, regardless of how much enjoyment and utility I received from those services.
Hmm...
Connect + Support
2024-02-27 21:25:36
When trying something new, it is okay to feel uncertain and hesitant, right? Well here I go anyway.
Connect-
My content lives here, on my one-man publishing house. Everything here is under my control and it’s then dispersed through three distribution channels.
The first, and most obvious, is the world wide web itself. My content is distributed to you via the Internet. You can ask your browser to get this page you’re reading right now and get access to my content.
The second is RSS. You can tell your RSS reader to fetch the content available on my website and you can then consume my content inside your app of choice.
The final one is email. I send my newsletter via email because some people prefer to stay up to date that way as well as reply back with further comments and discussion.
These three methods only take care of distribution and distribution of content is only part of the equation. You then have interaction. The point of putting content out there is to connect, to interact with others, to exchange ideas, and to grow. And interactions, through my website domain, happen mostly through comments on an article here or by email.
Support-
In the past twenty-two years that I have owned a website, never, not once, have I subjected anyone to spam, affiliate links or advertising. It's repugnant and distracts from the messages I want to get across. Nothing has changed in that regard. You now have the option to support me and this website (self hosting costs aren't cheap,) in many ways such as contributing to the conversation in the posts, adding me to your RSS feed readers and by dropping me a line into my e-mail inbox to hello@chrisdenbow.website.
After all these years of building websites and working on side projects, I realized that this is the only way for me to approach the whole donations/monetization part of what I do. $0 per month gives you access to the articles and newsletters I post. If you want to support for $5 or $10/month for all that plus extras, that's awesome as well. I'd be grateful either way and your kindness won't go unnoticed.
Between you and me, there is no obligation and I certainly don't have an expectant hand out, but the options are out there now.
I want to do an experiment soon to see if I can go without my iPhone for one day. I think we are too dependent on this damned thing. I'll set up some alternatives that I use daily and then monitor the data with Apple Screentime.
Process
2024-02-28 14:13:43
In the early days in the life of this website, I never had a writing workflow. Each post was dumped from my brain to the keyboard with a shrug and a push of a button to send. Over time, I picked up tools such as converting all-in to the Apple ecosystem and accompanying software that manifested into a more thoughtful and organized work path.
First things first, I need ideas. These come from various input/output sources, such as reading frequently, or having multiple creative outlets. From here, ideas formulate and sometimes appear after connecting a string of previously consumed inputs/outputs to connect the dots. These go into a file on my personal database, Grey Matter. I’ll let them percolate in my brain for a bit, do some research, check sources and relax. Now I have something to write about.
These ideas generate from multiple inputs such as a book I am reading, RSS feeds from other’s personal websites, X, formerly known as Twitter, Substack, et al. Once I see an article I’d like to return to I will send it to Matter to read it later and delete the rest. Inside Matter, I will return to a saved article, highlight the interesting bits and add my notes and initial thoughts into the marginalia.
Now it is time to sit down to the MacBook Pro, open up the Ulysses writing software and draft an outline. That’s the skeleton of the article, so it’s time to flesh it out. Here’s where everything from the inputs, the outputs and my thoughts just start flowing into this massive article, not caring about grammar, spelling or formatting yet. Eventually, there are words and paragraphs that need to be paired down and culled. Inside Ulysses there are helpful tools that checks for grammatical mistakes, typos, punctuation, etc., and prompts me to make the needed changes before publishing the draft to my website.
Image 1: time to edit that down - Image 2: time to edit those mistakes
Now that the draft is in, it’s time to format and design of the article because it is a mixture of design, photography, etc. To get an over-all visual I run a new branch in Git that runs a new file with metadata such as title, author, date.
---
title: ${title}
date: "${date}"
type: ${type}
tags:
notoc: true
cover: cover.jpg
coversocial: social.jpg
path: /blog/${path}/
description: write description here
---
write content here
---
Afterward, the header image is added — always in black and white to maintain consistency and an overall clean look. Colors can be too distracting, I think.
Once the article is ready to post, I ensure whether to distribute as an article, to my newsletter subscribers and always out to RSS.
According to Ulysses, this article will take you almost two minutes to consume on your device, less if you are scanning, so you can hurry and go check your social feeds (lol.)
I was enjoying this playlist while editing this article:
Time Machine
2024-02-28 16:15:02
“My camera is a Time Machine. A camera can be able to stop the world, in that we stop the world and then investigate what is there, carefully.”
-Hiroshi Sugimoto
Issues
2024-02-29 15:41:35
Having multiple accounts should be nice and simple but leave it to me to complicate matters. Despite documenting all credentials and passwords, toggling back and forth has been frustrating. Yes, I blame myself, not .
Minimal iPhone Experiment
2024-02-29 23:57:23
Apple has built-in software into their devices that allows you to track how much usage they get during a determined period of time and it is simply called ScreenTime. I noticed my screen time using the iPhone this past week was pretty high and I wondered what can I do about this. I’m addicted to my phone and you are too probably. I am going to do something I have wanted to try for a long time- put the iPhone in my desk drawer and leave it alone for a few days.
My Apple Watch has cellular capability to make/receive calls and text (just like Dick Tracy from the 1940's!) check the mail, remind me to take my meds, take voice notes, listen to music and podcasts through my AirPods, record workouts, navigate while driving or walking, etc.
Dick Tracy circa 1946
The only thing I would miss out on is taking photos, especially since I am on a 1-photo-a-day project with a specific camera. I may have to fire that phone up only ONCE a day just for this. The rest of the time I can carry a small camera with me.
Speaking of carrying things with me, instead of the iPhone I will bring a long a notebook, pen, e-reader, camera and wallet. Now, I know what you are thinking and...you're right. Those are more cumbersome to carry than that large iPhone. But that isn't the only goal, to minimize my everyday carry. The idea is to start weaning myself of the device dependency, remember?
Kobo e-reader, Field Notes, Zebra F-701 pen, Apple AirPods Pro 2, Apple Wallet & Watch
I want to be present and engaged by my surroundings and people. Instead of watching a mindless show and scrolling on my phone, I can just find a better show to absorb without distraction. I'll be able to read more books. I will do everything I should be doing when I am not otherwise having a phone in my face.
We went out for dinner tonight and it was difficult to hear her across the table because of the family of five sitting across the restaurant with their music, videos and games blaring as they ignore each other. Uh-uh, not me. No way.
This isn't for everyone, I am doing this as an experiment if you recall. I don't believe the general public could last one hour without their screens sucking their souls out. Nor do I make judgements. But I do recommend giving it a go, just to see if you can. Try it for an hour then increase it if you make it that far.
