diff --git a/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/IMG_4011.jpg b/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/IMG_4011.jpg deleted file mode 100644 index 4e7f7fe..0000000 Binary files a/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/IMG_4011.jpg and /dev/null differ diff --git a/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/IMG_4012.jpg b/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/IMG_4012.jpg deleted file mode 100644 index 87c49b1..0000000 Binary files a/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/IMG_4012.jpg and /dev/null differ diff --git a/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/index.md b/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/index.md index 68f318f..a7b8983 100644 --- a/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/index.md +++ b/content/journal/dispatch-4-june-2023/index.md @@ -5,77 +5,82 @@ draft: false tags: - dispatch references: +- title: "A Brief History & Ethos of the Digital Garden" + url: https://maggieappleton.com/garden-history + date: 2023-04-30T18:47:58Z + file: maggieappleton-com-n6xsqa.txt - title: "What’s in a Word? Building a Verbose Party Game | Viget" url: https://www.viget.com/articles/whats-in-a-word-building-a-verbose-party-game/ date: 2023-05-26T16:33:41Z file: www-viget-com-yrczde.txt +- title: "Why Have a Values Plan? – Anna Havron" + url: https://www.annahavron.com/blog/why-have-a-values-plan + date: 2023-05-28T19:58:40Z + file: www-annahavron-com-8hj07z.txt +- title: "Turning Obsidian into My Perfect Writing App – The Sweet Setup" + url: https://thesweetsetup.com/turning-obsidian-into-my-perfect-writing-app/ + date: 2023-06-02T03:52:56Z + file: thesweetsetup-com-x9nbdv.txt --- -* Closet progress - * done! - * Get a photo (finish it first) -* Biking - * Installed trailer hitch - * Now need to select + purchase rack -* Read [_Building a Second Brain_][1] - * Tried a couple PKM apps - * Settled on [Obsidian][2] (for now -- may just end up back in Vim at some point) - * I like the idea of [Logseq][3], but the editing experience had some warts and I didn't love being forced into an outline format - * Obsidian seems nice if a little non-native - * Set up the [web clipper][4] which is cool - * Need to figure out sync - * Also started keeping [public notes][5] -* Didn't write any go, but started a [notes page][6] - * This is the risk of getting to into PKM, I suppose -* [JCC][7] - * Pool - * Gym -* TTT - * 15 years! - * [Tides Inn][8] - * [Scooter][9] -* Having a kid is the end of "what if" thinking. - -
- {{}} - {{}} -
- -[1]: https://bookshop.org/p/books/building-a-second-brain-a-proven-method-to-organize-your-digital-life-and-unlock-your-creative-potential-tiago-forte/18265370?ean=9781982167387 -[2]: https://obsidian.md/ -[3]: https://logseq.com/ -[4]: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/obsidian-web/edoacekkjanmingkbkgjndndibhkegad -[5]: /notes/ -[6]: /notes/golang/ -[7]: https://www.jewishforgood.org/ -[8]: https://www.tidesinn.com/ -[9]: https://www.segway.com/ninebot-kickscooter-max/ +We spent Memorial Day weekend at Lake Norman, but it was like 55° and rainy the whole time. I've been loving the mild weather for the most part, but I was definitely looking forward to some kayaking and dock jumping. I'm sure it'll be hot and humid soon enough. +We finished off the closet project -- building the second unit was a lot quicker than the first, since I really just had to scale up the existing plans. Then it was a matter of adding the connecting rod and shelf. I think it turned out great, though I'd like to improve at building drawers. Here are some before and after shots (courtesy of Claire): + +
+ {{}} + {{}} + {{}} + {{}} +
+ +Other life updates: we had a big work retreat at the beginning of the month at the [Tides Inn][1], which was incredible. I celebrated 15 years (15!) with the company, and received a [scooter][2] as a gift. This thing is rad -- I've been really happy with the e-bike, but it's nice to have a smaller option for quick trips to the office or corner store. + +We signed up for the local [JCC][3] since they have the best/only outdoor pool in the area. As a bonus, they have a nice gym, and I managed to get ~4 workouts in over the month. Hope to keep that up, though June's pretty packed. I didn't manage to fit in any long bike rides, but I did get a trailer hitch installed on the car, which was a bit of a process. Now I just need to select and purchase a bike rack and a whole new series of adventures should be unlocked. + +I read [_Building a Second Brain_][4], a book about digital note-taking systems. It inspired me to try out a couple different PKM apps. I was initially drawn to [Logseq][5], but the editing experience was a little rough and it didn't seem to support adding PDFs and images to notes. I've settled on [Obsidian][6], which checks a lot of boxes even though I'm not a huge fan of Electron apps. I set up a [web clipper][7] tool so that I can quickly send links from Brave to Obsidian. I also started keeping [public notes][8], inspired by some [digital gardening][9] stuff I've been reading. + +I didn't write any Go, but I did start a [notes page][10] about it and have a decent idea for a starter project. I need to make some actual progress here this month. + +Final thought: when I was younger, I'd engage in a lot of "what if" thinking, imagining myself living totally different lives. This tendency decreased as I got older and built a life I was increasingly happy with, but never entirely went away. But since Nev came along, it's really the end of that -- she's so awesome, and any timeline where she doesn't exist exactly as she is right now just doesn't have any draw. + +[1]: https://www.tidesinn.com/ +[2]: https://www.segway.com/ninebot-kickscooter-max/ +[3]: https://www.jewishforgood.org/ +[4]: https://bookshop.org/p/books/building-a-second-brain-a-proven-method-to-organize-your-digital-life-and-unlock-your-creative-potential-tiago-forte/18265370?ean=9781982167387 +[5]: https://logseq.com/ +[6]: https://obsidian.md/ +[7]: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/obsidian-web/edoacekkjanmingkbkgjndndibhkegad +[8]: /notes/ +[9]: https://maggieappleton.com/garden-history +[10]: /notes/golang/ + This month: -* Adventure: - * Canoeing - * Beaufort - * Cruise -* Project: -* Skill: +* Adventure: this month is pretty adventure-packed between [Running of the Bulls][11], canoe camping, a long weekend in Beaufort, a cruise with Claire's family, and heading up to DC to meet our new niece +* Project: build a simple towel rack for the bathroom and publish an article on [testing][12] on my company's website +* Skill: gonna stick with Go and actually write some code + +[11]: https://bullcityrunning.com/our-races/running-of-the-bulls-8k/ +[12]: /notes/good-tests Reading: -* Fiction: [_Rapt_][10], Winifred Gallagher -* Non-fiction: [_The Last Graduate_][11], Naomi Novik +* Fiction: [_Rapt_][13], Winifred Gallagher +* Non-fiction: [_The Last Graduate_][14], Naomi Novik -[10]: https://bookshop.org/p/books/rapt-attention-and-the-focused-life-winifred-gallagher/7485226?ean=9780143116905 -[11]: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-last-graduate-naomi-novik/15537202?ean=9780593128886 +[13]: https://bookshop.org/p/books/rapt-attention-and-the-focused-life-winifred-gallagher/7485226?ean=9780143116905 +[14]: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-last-graduate-naomi-novik/15537202?ean=9780593128886 Links: -* [Title][12] -* [Title][13] -* [What’s in a Word? Building a Verbose Party Game | Viget][14] +* [What’s in a Word? Building a Verbose Party Game | Viget][15] -- write-up of the [Pointless Weekend][16] game I helped build in March +* [Why Have a Values Plan? – Anna Havron][17] +* [Turning Obsidian into My Perfect Writing App – The Sweet Setup][18] -[12]: https://example.com/ -[13]: https://example.com/ -[14]: https://www.viget.com/articles/whats-in-a-word-building-a-verbose-party-game/ +[15]: https://www.viget.com/articles/whats-in-a-word-building-a-verbose-party-game/ +[16]: /journal/dispatch-2-april-2023/ +[17]: https://www.annahavron.com/blog/why-have-a-values-plan +[18]: https://thesweetsetup.com/turning-obsidian-into-my-perfect-writing-app/ diff --git a/static/archive/thesweetsetup-com-x9nbdv.txt b/static/archive/thesweetsetup-com-x9nbdv.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..97b1aa2 --- /dev/null +++ b/static/archive/thesweetsetup-com-x9nbdv.txt @@ -0,0 +1,395 @@ + #[1]The Sweet Setup [2]alternate [3]alternate [4]alternate + + [tr?id=1547247442291447&ev=PageView &noscript=1] + + IFRAME: [5]https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-PS7L89F + + NEW! All the Things: Productivity Course → [6]Check it Out + + [7]The Sweet Setup The Sweet Setup + [8]ABOUT [9]COURSES [10]BLOG + [11]Sign In + + * [12]Categories + + [13]Mindfulness + + [14]Workflows + + [15]Setups + + [16]Quick Tips + + ____________________ Go + +Turning Obsidian into My Perfect Writing App + + October 24, 2022 + by [17]Mike Schmitz + + NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is right around the corner, + and if you’re looking for a great tool to help you hit your writing + goals, there are lots of great options available. + + In this article, I want to make the case for using [18]Obsidian by + showing you how to turn it into a powerful writing environment using a + few essential plugins. + +But Isn’t Obsidian a Notes App? + + That’s what I thought when I first started using it a couple of years + ago. I was hoping it would help me make connections between my notes + and help inspire some new ideas. But over time, I fell in love with it + as a writing tool. In fact, every article I’ve written in the last 2 + years has been written in Obsidian. + + What makes Obsidian great as a writing tool is how much you can + customize it using third-party plugins. The number of plugins continues + to grow (676 as of this writing), and with Obsidian recently launching + version 1.0, the app shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. + +My Journey Away from Ulysses + + Let me get this out right now: Ulysses is an incredible writing app. + + It’s just not for me for a couple of specific reasons. + + First, publishing to the web isn’t quite as easy as it should be with + Ulysses. It does give you the ability to publish straight to WordPress, + and you can even update blog posts from Ulysses now — if you can get it + to connect to your custom WordPress blog. + + When this broke for me, I started digging in to how to fix it and + quickly came across weird plugins and settings for modifying XMLRPC. + And unfortunately, I could never get it functioning again. I fully + understand it’s something on my domains, but the “simple instructions” + didn’t work for me, and even as a web developer I didn’t feel + comfortable digging too far into this. + + Which meant I was stuck copying and pasting into WordPress. + + And because Ulysses doesn’t use standard Markdown, that meant I had to + “export” my text first. This works, but adds a few extra clicks (or + taps in iOS) in order to get my text out of my writing app. Combine + that with the fact that Ulysses has some weird Markdown formatting that + never quite clicked for me in the first place, and I was left looking + for a straight Markdown-based text editor. + + Obsidian fits that description perfectly. It’s simple, uses plain text + files, provides inline formatting, and supports standard Markdown. It’s + everything I’ve ever wanted in a plain text editor. + + But there are a few additional settings and plugins you can use to make + it even better as a writing app. + +Obsidian Settings + + First, let’s look at some of the settings. + + To access these settings, click the gear icon in the lower-left corner + and then select Editor from the Settings sidebar. + + The defaults are actually pretty good, but here’s the key settings you + want if you’re going to use Obsidian for writing: + * Make sure that Auto pair Markdown syntax is toggled ON. This + creates both symbols and places the cursor in the middle, making it + easier to create italicized or emphasized text. + * Make sure Smart indent lists is toggled ON. This makes it easier to + create bulleted and numbered lists quickly, automatically adding + the next bullet when you hit the Return key. + * Make sure that Fold heading and Fold indent are toggled ON. This + creates carats for Markdown headers as well as indented text, + adding some cool outliner-inspired features that make it easy to + fold up text in large files and focus on the text you want. + + There are a bunch of other settings you can customize, but many of them + are simply personal preference. These are the important ones. + + Once you have your settings, it’s time to move on to the plugins. + +Obsidian Core Plugin Settings + + There are two types of plugins in Obsidian: Core plugins that ship with + the app, and Community plugins that you can install to extend the + functionality of Obsidian. We’re going to look at the Core plugins + first. + + Here are my recommendations for modifying the Core plugins: + * Make sure that Backlinks and Outgoing Links are both toggled ON. + These are sections available in the right sidebar that show all of + the notes that link to the active note and all of the notes linked + to from the active note respectively. (If you’re new to the concept + of connected notes, check out [19]this article on using the local + graph.) + * Make sure that Outline is toggled ON. This adds a tab in the right + sidebar that creates a table of contents for your note based on the + Markdown headers. This is helpful when you need to jump to a + specific section of a longer text as you can do so simply by + clicking on the appropriate header title. + * Turn the Word Count setting OFF. Word counts are important, but + there’s a Community plugin that does this much better than the + built-in word count tool here. + + Again, there are a bunch of options here that are personal preference, + but these are the important ones. Once you have these Core plugins set, + it’s time to really make Obsidian dance by adding some Community + plugins. + +Obsidian Community Plugins for an Upgraded Writing Experience + + You can access the Community plugins public directory by going to + Settings → Community plugins → Browse once you’ve toggled off Safe + Mode. From there, you can find plugins for just about anything, from + [20]embedding tasks from Todoist to [21]creating timeblocked daily + plans to [22]creating kanban boards — all based on your locally-stored + plain text files using standard Markdown. + + All of the plugin links I share below are Obsidian links + (obsidian://link-adress) that will open straight to the plug-in page if + you have Obsidian installed and running on your device. + + Note that many of the plugins I will share here are 1:1 replacements + for standard features in Ulysses, so if you don’t mind non-standard + Markdown formatting and don’t run into the publishing issues that I + did, maybe try that instead. But if you’re all in with Obsidian, here + are the plugins I use to make Obsidian my perfect writing app. + +Better Word Count + + The first plugin is called [23]Better Word Count. This replaces the + built-in word count core plugin, and it functions largely the same with + one key addition: when you highlight text, it shows the + words/characters of the highlighted text instead of the whole document. + + It’s not as good as the writing stats in Ulysses, but it’s good enough + for me. + +cMenu + + If you’re uncomfortable relying on your memory for Markdown formatting, + [24]cMenu is a third-party plugin that gives you a minimal text editor + modal that allows you to do things like bold, italicize, strikethrough, + underline, and toggle blockquotes. + + If you don’t like the default options, you can customize what shows up + in the modal by adding any of the Commands in your Obsidian library. + +Reading Time + + Another handy Ulysses feature is being able to see how long it will + take to read the text in the selected file. But you can add this + feature to the status bar using the [25]Reading Time plugin. + + This one is pretty straightforward — just install it and turn it on and + you’ll see the reading time at the bottom of your Obsidian window. You + can customize your reading speed in the settings for the plugin. + +Footnote Shortcut + + If you use footnotes a lot, they can be a bit of a pain to create with + standard Markdown. It’s a lot easier with the [26]Obsidian Footnotes + plugin.^[27]1 + + Once installed, you can find it in the Command Palette and with the + hotkey: Footnote Shortcut: Insert and Navigate Footnote. You can + customize the hotkey by going to Settings → Hotkey and searching for + Footnote, which will then insert the appropriate Markdown and navigate + to the bottom of the note where you can insert the text for your + footnote. + +Focus Mode + + The Obsidian interface can be a little distracting when you’re trying + to focus on your words. Fortunately, the [28]Focus Mode plugin allows + you to remove all the distractions and focus on what you’re writing. + + Once the plugin is installed and active, just click the Toggle Focus + Mode button to hide the sidebars and status bar, and you can + shift-click the button to hide everything but the active writing pane. + +Typewriter Scroll + + [29]This plugin keeps the currently selected line in the middle of the + screen as you type. As you type, the focus moves from the current + section to the next section by moving the rest of the page in the + background, much like an old-fashioned typewriter. + + There’s even a Zen Mode option that grays out the background text to + help you focus on the line that you are currently writing. + +Novel Word Count + + If you are aiming to write a book (fiction or non-fiction), you + probably have a total word count in mind. [30]Novel Word Count shows + you the number of words that a document or folder contains in the + sidebar so you can keep track of your long-form writing progress. + + You can also use pages, characters, date created, and date updated (as + well as a few different combinations) that can be configured in the + plugin settings once you turn it on. + +Conclusion + + Obsidian is much more than just a notes app, and might be the perfect + writing tool for you if you want to: + 1. Store your plain text files locally + 2. Use something that supports standard Markdown + 3. Gives you the flexibility to craft your writing environment + + Obsidian may not be for everyone, but since it’s completely free to + start, there’s no reason not to give it a spin. + __________________________________________________________________ + + 1. Since it’s an Obsidian Command, you could also add this as a button + to the cMenu plugin mentioned above. [31]↩ + +Follow us + +[32]Get App Picks, Guides, & More + + Get workflow tips, app recommendations, how-to guides, stories, and + more delivered to your inbox. Plus we'll send you our productivity + guide for free! + + ____________________ + + Sweet! + +[33]Best-Selling Courses + +[34]🎟 All Access Pass 🎟 + + Join the Focus Accelerator to get instant access to the entire course + library, resource vault, and more. [35]» + +[36]NEW: All the Things + + Best-selling productivity course. Stop being managed by your task list. + [37]» + +[38]Full Course List + + Serving 15,000 customers since 2013, we have a library full of in-depth + courses to help you be more productive, creative, and focused. [39]View + all courses » + +[40]The Latest Posts + +[41]Mike Schmitz’s Must-Have Productivity Apps + + Like Josh, Matt, and Jeff did previously, today I'm going to share a + handful of my favorite productivity apps that are essential for how I + work. [42]» + +[43]Jeff Abbott’s Must-Have Productivity Apps + + We've heard from Matt and Josh on which apps they consider + irreplaceable for their workflows and productivity, and now it's my + turn to pull back the curtain. These days, a lot of my work happens on + a work MacBook Pro that is fairly locked down. The IT-managed operating + system presents some challenges when it comes to finding a good + productivity balance, and these apps meet my needs on my work device + and personal devices too. [44]» + +[45]How We Created our Master Resource Database + + A couple of months ago, we were in a Blanc Media staff meeting and we + were talking about one of our resources, an e-book called + Procrastinator’s Guide to Progress. And I asked, “Do we have a central + place to easily find all of our resources with source files and links?” + Well, the answer was.... “um, I don’t think so”. So then I had the idea + to track down all of our resources, PDFs, slide decks etc. and drop + them into one place. So our Master Resource Database in Notion was + born. [46]» + +[47]Lock Screen Widgets, Productivity Must-Haves, and More + + Catch up on what we published this week, including a look at some great + lock screen widgets for iPhone 14 Pro (Max), must-have productivity + apps from our team, and more. [48]» + +[49]Great Lock Screen Widgets for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max + + Here are some of our favorite Lock Screen widgets thus far. [50]» + + * [51]Home + * [52]About + * [53]Products + * [54]Contact + * [55]Blog + * [56]Newsletter + * [57]Sign In + + A website by [58]Shawn Blanc and friends. See also: [59]The Focus + Course | [60]Tools & Toys + © 2023 Blanc Media, LLC + [61]Design by Ink Blot Media Group • [62]Dev by Jonathan Christopher + + fbpx + +References + + Visible links: + 1. https://thesweetsetup.com/feed/ + 2. https://thesweetsetup.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/132252 + 3. https://thesweetsetup.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https://thesweetsetup.com/turning-obsidian-into-my-perfect-writing-app/ + 4. https://thesweetsetup.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https://thesweetsetup.com/turning-obsidian-into-my-perfect-writing-app/&format=xml + 5. https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-PS7L89F + 6. https://thesweetsetup.com/things/?ref=46 + 7. https://thesweetsetup.com/ + 8. file:///colophon/ + 9. file:///training/ + 10. file:///blog/ + 11. https://thesweetsetup.com/my-account + 12. file:///var/folders/q9/qlz2w5251kzdfgn0np7z2s4c0000gn/T/L60569-2817TMP.html + 13. https://thesweetsetup.com/category/mindfulness/ + 14. https://thesweetsetup.com/category/workflows/ + 15. https://thesweetsetup.com/category/sweet-setup-interview/ + 16. https://thesweetsetup.com/category/quick-tip/ + 17. https://thesweetsetup.com/author/mikeschmitz/ + 18. https://obsidian.md/ + 19. https://thesweetsetup.com/the-power-of-obsidians-local-graph/ + 20. https://thesweetsetup.com/syncing-embedding-tasks-from-todoist-in-obsidian/ + 21. https://thesweetsetup.com/timeblocking-in-obsidian/ + 22. https://thesweetsetup.com/my-obsidian-based-kanban-writing-workflow/ + 23. obsidian://show-plugin/?id=better-word-count + 24. obsidian://show-plugin/?id=cmenu-plugin + 25. obsidian://show-plugin/?id=obsidian-reading-time + 26. obsidian://show-plugin/?id=obsidian-footnotes + 27. file:///var/folders/q9/qlz2w5251kzdfgn0np7z2s4c0000gn/T/L60569-2817TMP.html#fn-132252:1 + 28. obsidian://show-plugin/?id=obsidian-focus-mode + 29. obsidian://show-plugin/?id=cm-typewriter-scroll-obsidian + 30. obsidian://show-plugin/?id=novel-word-count + 31. file:///var/folders/q9/qlz2w5251kzdfgn0np7z2s4c0000gn/T/L60569-2817TMP.html#fnref-132252:1 + 32. https://thesweetsetup.com/newsletter/ + 33. https://thesweetsetup.com/training/ + 34. https://thesweetsetup.com/accelerator/ + 35. https://thesweetsetup.com/accelerator/ + 36. https://thesweetsetup.com/things/ + 37. https://thesweetsetup.com/things/ + 38. https://thesweetsetup.com/training/?utm_source=training_sidebar_link&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=sidebar_att + 39. https://thesweetsetup.com/training/ + 40. https://thesweetsetup.com/blog/ + 41. https://thesweetsetup.com/mike-schmitzs-must-have-productivity-apps/ + 42. https://thesweetsetup.com/mike-schmitzs-must-have-productivity-apps/ + 43. https://thesweetsetup.com/jeff-abbotts-must-have-productivity-apps/ + 44. https://thesweetsetup.com/jeff-abbotts-must-have-productivity-apps/ + 45. https://thesweetsetup.com/how-we-created-our-master-resource-database/ + 46. https://thesweetsetup.com/how-we-created-our-master-resource-database/ + 47. https://thesweetsetup.com/lock-screen-widgets-productivity-must-haves-and-more/ + 48. https://thesweetsetup.com/lock-screen-widgets-productivity-must-haves-and-more/ + 49. https://thesweetsetup.com/great-lock-screen-widgets-for-the-iphone-14-pro-and-pro-max/ + 50. https://thesweetsetup.com/great-lock-screen-widgets-for-the-iphone-14-pro-and-pro-max/ + 51. file:/// + 52. https://thesweetsetup.com/colophon/ + 53. https://thesweetsetup.com/training/ + 54. https://thesweetsetup.com/contact/ + 55. https://thesweetsetup.com/blog/ + 56. https://thesweetsetup.com/newsletter/ + 57. https://thesweetsetup.com/my-account + 58. https://shawnblanc.net/ + 59. https://thefocuscourse.com/ + 60. http://toolsandtoys.net/ + 61. http://inkblotmediagroup.com/ + 62. http://mondaybynoon.com/ + + Hidden links: + 64. file://localhost/var/folders/q9/qlz2w5251kzdfgn0np7z2s4c0000gn/T/L60569-2817TMP.html + 65. https://twitter.com/thesweetsetup + 66. https://thesweetsetup.com/feed