Google is Squeezing iA Writer

Another story of a big tech company using their monopoly to get more money and harm little companies. While I don’t use iA Writer currently, I have used it and found it to be an excellent app. I follow their site because they have very interesting content in many fields showing t … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 1 month ago

Sissy shaming, broken things and future me is dumb – 3 Threads

This is brought to you by members who get access to my book notes and my courses. Sissy Shaming I still see this sissy-shaming happening in my daughter’s classes. She’s a fast runner and was just saying yesterday that when she beat everyone in the class in a running race the firs … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 1 month ago

Ideal systems, Radium suppositories and women’s rights – 3 Threads

This is brought to you by members. Join and help keep the content coming. Hypothetical Ideal Systems RJ Nestor has a great article on the hypothetical systems we create. This is the videos/blog posts showing you all the needed folders in your note system or the “best” way to set … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

Is LinkedIn built on data slop?

Heather makes a good case that LinkedIn has more bad data about you than good. I know I’ve never found much use in LinkedIn and when I found out about the LinkedIn AI bullshit I went in and turned it off, along with a bunch of other dumb stuff that was active for my account. […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

DHH on the slow boil of bad Apple

While I do have some issues with DHH and 37Signals, this is a good podcast about how he got slowly (then quickly) boiled by Apple being a bit of a shit company. I’m happily on my Framework 13 daily running Fedora 40. I’m unhappy with my photos locked into Apple Photos and I rarel … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

Analogue, Libraries and how to make the big bucks – 3 Threads

This is supported by readers like you. Become a member to keep the content coming. Carl Pullein on Analogue Carl talks about the analogue tools he’s loved this year and I get it. I have a notebook at my desk to record tasks all day and journal. I take most of my book notes in […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

Your Bookshelf, NaNoWriMo and Moleskine – 3 Threads

What Your Bookshelf Says David takes a look at the meaning behind your book habit. I’m currently a book stacker on the floor because I need to add a bunch of shelving to my office, but to do that I have to figure out where all the other stuff in my office goes. I purchase […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

Fixing Oh My Posh and Kitty install issues

I’ve been spending a bit of time customizing my setup which had me find oh-my-posh as a terminal theme and Kitty. To install oh-my-posh run the following command. Then to set your shell to use it run these commands. While that worked in the current terminal every time I’d start K … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

Lou is Surrounded by Books

Lou wrote about his history with books and I get it. The first book I remember devouring was Arthur by Stephen R Lawhead which then meant I had to get the rest of the series and I loved them. I was around 10 and had to repurchase the whole set before I was 15 because […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

I don’t install node I use nix-shell

This video is a great quick explainer about how awesome nix-shell is. I don’t install PHP or Node or even MySQL I create a shell.nix file and run nix-shell and let my shell have everything installed without cluttering up my system. I do need to dig into flakes at some point. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

Issues with Firefox

The video above takes a look at Firefox and it’s health. CEO pay is a big factor in how unhealthy Firefox is. I use Firefox instead of Chrome because I want browser diversity, but the direction leadership continues to take the browser is antithetical to why I use it. Zen browser … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

Don’t Change Tools, Shitposting AI and Bad Phones – 3 Threads

Like this content, purchase a course to keep it coming. Stick with your tooling This is a great reminder to stick with your tools. This is why I don’t review lots of PKM apps, I’ve found Obsidian and it works for me. I don’t do a bunch of Obsidian content anymore because I’m not … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

TV, Time Management and Justified Art – 3 Threads

This is brought to you by members. Become one to help keep the site running. I don’t want to replace my TV At this point I have a 13-year-old 38″ LCD TV that doesn’t have good picture quality compared to what you can purchase now. It’s small and the the bezels are “huge”, yet aft … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 2 months ago

Apple and Patreon – Apple is Disgusting

I just finished listening to ATP discuss the Apple and Patreon issue and I’m more and more annoyed at Apple. As the panellists agreed, I can’t wait for Apple to face more regulatory and legal pressure so they stop trying to steal money from other businesses. I’ve been an Apple fa … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 3 months ago

Improved my TMUX & NeoVim workflow

The excellent and concise video above helped me improve my NeoVim and Tmux workflow today. Navigating between panes is much easier now. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 3 months ago

Lou – Blogging brings joy

Lou wrote about blogging bringing him joy. I’ve been a bit less consistent lately, but that in itself is consistent. I generally go on a big push writing lots for a year or so, then taper off for a bit till the big urge strikes again. Since around 2008 that has left me just over … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 3 months ago

Introverts on Work, Text and Books – 3 Threads

This is supported my members. All members get access to my book notes and course supporters get my courses as well. Introvert Friendly Work Jeffery Way, founder of Laracasts, has an excellent article about a working life that’s friendly to introverts and parents. Two hours with y … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 3 months ago

The iPod Returns and Essays Rock – 3 Threads

This is brought to you by members. To keep the content coming you should join. Using an iPod Video for 30 days This video was an excellent look filters and music. I have Filterworld on my shelf already and this made me even more interested in the book but what really spoke to me … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 3 months ago

Friend AI 1.8 million for a domain

Yesterday I wrote about the Friend AI pendant and how far people will go to not interact with people. Then 404 Media reported that the company spent $1.8 million out of it’s $2.5 million raised on the domain name friend.com. That seems absurd, though evidently the founder feels t … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 3 months ago

Friend AI – So you don’t have to interact with people

When I watched this today all I can think about is how far people will go to not interact with other people or how hard they’ll work to not go see a therapist. I’m watching Big Bang Theory right now and this is exactly what I could see Sheldon loving, no human emotions to worry [ … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 3 months ago

Writing reading and life optimisation – 3 Threads

This newsletter is supported by members who get access to my book notes. Keep the content coming by becoming a member. Writing to Learn This book has been on my list for a while, but it’s now in the next pile after watching this review of Writing to Learn. I use writing daily to … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 3 months ago

Fedora 40 on Framework 13″ Laptop

I’m usually quite a bit behind on updating to the latest operating system because most of the bugs get worked out if I wait a few months. Thus I’m happy to say that I upgraded to Fedora 40 this week on my Framework laptop and have had no real issues. The only thing that was […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 4 months ago

YouTube sucks, Slow Internet is fine, I like notebooks – 3 Threads July 13 2024

Some thoughts while on vacation. This whole site is brought to you by members. Join to get some extra newsletter content but more importantly access to my courses and book notes. YouTube is mostly a time suck In an effort to deal with my unfortunate issue with Google 2FA I instal … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 4 months ago

I Just Blocked AI

I’ve been meaning to get around to this for a while but based on Robb Knight’s many blog posts on how bad AI companies are treating the web I finally added a block to all AI bots to my site at the server level. What galls me most about this is that AI companies keep […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 4 months ago

Duped by Google 2FA

If you’ve got a Google account you’ll be familiar with their custom 2 factor security model. When you sign into your device you are asked to verify the sign in on another device. Yes the support rolling code 2FA as well, but they make it hard to get to behind a few other clicks w … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 4 months ago

Life Under Billionaires Systems and Blogging – 3 Threads

This only comes out because of members. Members get my book notes and some levels get access to my courses. I’d appreciate your support. You Have to Check Your Systems A task management system only works if you check it, which is absolutely a problem I suffer from in both digital … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 4 months ago

The Physical Appeals and Satellite Pollution – 3 Threads

This is brought to you by members. Become one to keep the newsletter coming and get access to my book notes. The Appeal of Physical Based on last weeks email I got a few questions that shared similar themes. People switching between paper/digital tools and books and never quite f … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 5 months ago

The Renaissance of the Physical – 3 Threads

This is supported by members who get my courses and all my book notes. Do you own the things you love? Digital purchasing isn’t ownership and it’s getting hard to get physical copies of anything. Paris Marx has a long story about how much work he had to do to get Dune Part 1 on [ … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 5 months ago

Matt has the right gif for my thoughts on iPadOS

Entirely stealing from Matt Birchler. I love my iPad but I feel like Charlie Brown and Apple is Lucy. I trust she won’t pull the football away again like she always does, but she’s going to. I always hope Apple will push my favourite form factor device just a bit more so I can us … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 5 months ago

Finding your Voice, WTF, and book lists – 3 Threads

If you like this content members help keep it coming. You Know Who You Like When you’re starting out you may not have a voice but you know who you like. Often we start by copying those we look up to, and the disappointment in our work comes when we can’t copy close enough so […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 5 months ago

Slow Productivity Review

Slow Productivity is Cal Newport’s 5th entry into the adult productivity space, all of which I’ve read. My first entry into Newport was Deep Work which I wrote two extensive posts about. At the time it was saying all the things I was thinking but had no words for. But since then … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 5 months ago

Who Are Productivity Books For? – (Members)

This content is restricted to users that have purchased Newsletter Supporters or Course Supporters. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 5 months ago

Link Rot, AI and Becoming a Writer – 3 – Threads

If you like these then you can make sure they keep coming by becoming a member. Members get all my book notes. Object Permanence and Link Rot Cory wrote an excellent piece on spelunking through your old thoughts and the implication of link rot. One thing that stuck out to me is t … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 5 months ago

The Rabbit R1 is Hiding More than you Thought

Yes tech reviewers widely panned the Rabbit R1 as not useful at all. But the scams from the company go even further with it originally being an NFT/Crypto/Clean Energy company that raised money and didn’t deliver. So the same Crypto scammers are getting in on AI scams now. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

Notes, Propaganda and Writing Online – 3 Threads

If you like this content become a member. Members get access to my book notes. Remember Atomic Notes is just one way of doing things Danny talks about why he doesn’t use atomic notes. It’s important to remember that anyone telling you how to do your notes is just sharing an idea … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

My iPad is my Favourite Form Factor

While I’m not sure I want an iPad that runs macOS as Matt suggests I am sure that my iPad is my favourite form factor for a computing device. I’m typing at it now, but I often grab it off my stand and take it to another part of the house to have a recipe, […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

Initial Thoughts on Slow Productivity

Some initial thoughts on Cal Newport’s latest book as I get started on it. If you want to read this whole post become a member. Members get all my courses included.. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

Stop Note Bloat

Niklaus Wirth was a famous computer scientist that, among other things, invented the Pascal programming language after his proposal to improve Algol was turned down. He also wrote an article pleading for lean software and then went on to write Project Oberon which is a self-conta … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

Lou on the iPad Release

While I don’t think the new iPad release is compelling I also agree with Lou Don’t let anyone else tell you how you should feel or use your personal technology. Use what works for you. Enjoy it without shame. This goes for anything you enjoy that’s not harmful to others. Enjoy th … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

The M4 iPad Pro is Faster

So the new iPad Pro is faster and has a better screen and is thinner. All things I would expect for an incremental upgrade. Reading further through the reports about the iPad I see nothing that makes it a compelling purchase to replace my M1 iPad Pro. I bet I’ll still have issues … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

The iPad isn’t a Mac

Jason Snell speaking about the reveal of what would become the M series chips in the iPad Pro: But that boast also drew the iPad into direct comparisons with PC laptops, and while its sheer hardware power might have defeated most of those laptops, power isn’t everything. It’s wha … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

Stores Steal Female Worker Wages (members)

If you want to read the members content become a member. You also get access to my book notes.. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

On Banning Books, Taking Notes for Others and Should you Write a Book? – 3 Threads

This week we’re taking a look at books, from a short discussion on banning books, to how people take notes for future you, and wrapping up with the question “should you write a book”? This is reader supported. To keep the content coming become a member Banning Books This is an ex … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

Use Your Mac without a Mouse with Homerow

Previously I’ve shown off VimiumC as a way to navigate content inside your web browser without needing to take your hands off the keyboard to reach for your mouse, but now I’ve found a tool for macOS that lets you do the same thing for the entire operating system called Homerow. … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 6 months ago

March 2024 Reading

Fiction Read in March 2024 Liberty’s Daughter – Naomi Kritzer Liberty’s Daughter follows Beck Garrison, who was kidnapped by her father to live on a techno-libertarian seastead. We get to follow Beck as she reunites with the mother she thought was dead, and finds “stuff” for peop … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 7 months ago

AI is Eating itself now – (Members)

If you want to read this whole post become a member. Members get all my courses included.. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 7 months ago

Technology Access does not mean success – 3 Threads

Today we’re going to look at some of the ideas found in The Promise of Access by Daniel Greene. Specifically we’ll look at libraries and schooling and how mere access to technology without fundamental reform in the structures of society will not change much. This is a reader supp … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 7 months ago

It Takes Time to Git Gud (Members)

There are no shortcuts to “git gud” so stop looking for them. To read this post become a member.. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 7 months ago