The WordPress Benevolent Dictator – Rules Don’t Apply to Me

Yet again the “benevolent dictator for life” Matt Mullenweg yet again feels the rules don’t apply to his personal projects. While I like so much about WordPress and can thank my involvement in the community with the house we live in, I really dislike how Matt treats much of the c … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

On Notebooks and Curiosity – PKM Weekly Jan 14 2024 – Issue 105

If you get value out of this newsletter consider supporting it by becoming a member. You can either get my weekly thoughts or all my courses and my weekly thoughts. You could also purchase a course if that fits your needs better. You can get this in your inbox by signing up. Are … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

We Learn Better When we Teach

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


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Platformer Says Goodbye to Substack

After the recent updates from Platformer about the Substack Nazi problem I wasn’t convinced that they’d leave the platform. In fact Casey says he wasn’t emphatic enough about his distaste for how little Substack did in the face of criticism. In his words: I attempted to write a s … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

That letter saying Substack should leave Nazis alone was started by Substack Founder Hamish Mackenzie

I thought I was done talking about Substack and Nazis, but nope. It seems the letter that asked Substack to prefer free speech over moderation was started by the Substack founder Hamish Mackenzie. So Mackenzie started the letter, then hides behind it as a reason not to moderate N … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

58Keys – Publish a Personal Book

He had 600k words after 800 posts. I wonder what my almost 4k posts would turn into word count wise. I feel very tempted to publish books by year for my site. At the very least it would make my writing accessible for my kids after I die and my site goes away. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Matt on Omnivore the Free Read Later App

This is the current read later app I’m using. There are some UI issues when using it on your iPad, like highlights not matching the cursor when you’re using an external monitor, but the Obsidian sync is excellent. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

A 2 screen laptop – ASUS Zenbook Duo

This ASUS laptop is a very cool piece of tech coming out of CES this year. I love the idea of having two screens on the go, and while it’s not as repairable as my Framework, you can replace some of the parts if you’re brave enough according to Linus Tech Tips. Now it does […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Substack Does The Bare Minimum it Figures It Can Get Away with to Stop its Nazi Problem

Since I first talked about the issue with Nazis on Substack there have been many words spent on the Substack Nazi issue, and while it seems that much has been done, Substack itself has done as little as possible. As of Jan 9th 2024 they’ve committed to removing 5 Nazi publication … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

PKM Weekly Issue 104 – Jan 7 2024

If you get value out of this newsletter consider supporting it by becoming a member. You can either get my weekly thoughts or all my courses and my weekly thoughts. You could also purchase a course if that fits your needs better. Members also get all my book notes. You can get th … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Organizing my Thoughts Leaves Substack

Kelly talks about the stress of leaving Substack because it affects her income. As mentioned, I have rehomed my Organizing My Thoughts. While the move was necessary, I am pretty stressed out about it. As a disabled writer and organizer, the income I get from my paid subscribers m … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Do we Use Polymath as Perjory Now

Are there any polymaths anymore? Can someone know everything today with how fast information expands? Today we talk about how calling someone a polymath is purely about stroking their ego. To read these posts become a member. Members get access to my raw book notes and my courses … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Molly White – Citation Needed Leaves Substack

Molly White’s email newsletter left Substack because Nazi’s aren’t cool. I particularly liked this quote from an embedded Tweet. When you argue that fascists should be defeated through debate what you’re actually suggesting is that vulnerable minorities should have to endlessly a … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Rich Dad – Poor Dad – 1 Billion Debt Dad

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, is now testing out a new take on money as he’s now $1Billion in debt Dad. Now he says this debt is “good” because it’s in stuff like precious metals which he thinks are more stable in value than the US dollars he spent to get there. [ … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Platformer Responds about Nazi’s and Substack

From yesterday’s edition of Platformer: Thanks to everyone who wrote to us over the break regarding Substack’s response to criticism that it is hosting and monetizing dozens of extremist publications, including some that are openly advocating for genocide against Jewish people. I … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

An Update on Polish Trains – Anticompetitive Behaviour Under Investigation

A few weeks back I shared a story of trains being bricked because the manufacturer didn’t like who was working on them. Then some programmers found that the trains were shut off in software if they spent time at an unauthorized repair shop. Well now the train manufacturer will ne … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

My Top 5 Posts from 2023

According to my site statistics the top 5 posts as voted by readers are. The first striking thing to me is that none of those posts were published in 2023. Number 4 was published in 2021 and all other posts were published in 2023. Looking at my YouTube stats we see a bit of varia … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

USC shows that $750 a month given to homeless greatly improves their lives

I recent controlled study of 100 homeless people given 750/month for a year shows that they don’t spend on drugs as many basic income naysayer suggest, they get housing and clothing and food. I’ve covered this topic a number of times, with the most comprehensive look being Basic … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Unread for macOS Testflight Beta

Unread has a TestFlight beta for macOS. Unread has been my RSS reader of choice for iPadOS and iOS for years and now they’re coming out with a macOS version that you can try. I’ve been using it for a few hours and while there are some features I miss, I don’t see a way […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

800 Days of Notebooks

Peter McKinnon on 800 days of note. I use a notebook at my desk all the time and have at time carried a Field Notes book in my pocket. Despite everything that digital tools are good at, a notebook is the right tool for the job sometimes as well. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Thinking Time – PKM Weekly Dec 31 – Issue 103

Over the last number of issues I’ve been writing down thoughts on getting more thinking time but for 2024 I’m going to double down on thinking about thinking. To start I’ll be revamping my to read pile so that it’s focusing on the subject of making space in your life, and how to … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

What I’ve been Reading

We recap a bit about future projects and the books I’m reading over Christmas.. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Seth Goldstein – Own your content

After 36 frozen hours on Linkedin Seth reminds us that we should own our content. I am continually dumbfounded when people share this type of thing as I’ve been saying you should own your content for over 10 years now. After the continual screw ups of platforms, from supporting N … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

I’m not a Swifty But I like What She Stands For

This was an interesting article about Taylor Swift being Conservatives biggest foe. I find it incredulous, but not surprising, that Conservatives like Laura Loomer will claim that Taylor Swift is trying to “interfere” with elections because she’s telling people to vote. It’s almo … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

iPad for 2024

Currently I use two iPads. I have a M1 12.9” iPad Pro 1TB and an iPad Mini 6 256GB. These iPads hold two different spaces in my computing life. My iPad Pro is where I do much of my writing and note-taking. It’s attached to an external monitor and a keyboard much of the time. […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

Matt’s iPad Report Card

The iPad Mini hasn’t been touched since 2021, and this is the one iPad I’m not super worried about camera placement. I would like to see it get a processor bump to the A16 or M1, as well as some reduced bezels if they can. I disagree with reduced bezels for the iPad Mini. I use m … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 10 months ago

A Single Link – PKM Weekly Dec 24th 2023 Issue 102

Since I recommended the creator below the Substack Nazi problem has gotten worse with the founder doubling down on supporting Nazi’s as “free speech”. I’ve unsubscribed from all Substack newsletters now noting that I don’t support Nazi’s but I really do want to draw attention to … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

The Ability to Read is a Superpower

Today we talk about the power of focused attention and how many jobs don’t let us have any time to focus our attention on the work they are theoretically paying us to do. To become a member sign up. Members get all my book notes and courses.. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Would You Watch Your Own Videos?

From Matt: Would you read the blog posts you write? Would you watch your own videos? Remember that making good shit is about making things people enjoy, so think about what you like and try to make things that you would be excited to see when you’re browsing the web. We’re all un … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Ultimate Keyboard Control Task Management – nvim OrgMode

I’m sure someone is going to try and blast me for talking about OrgMode and then using Vim in the same sentence, because OrgMode is an Emacs thing not a Vim thing and the divide between users of the editors often seems like a holy war. As I said in my article on my issues […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

AI from Google, Stable Diffusion and others poisoned by CSAM

According to a new study by the Stanford Internet Observatory shared with 404 Media ahead of publication, the researchers found the suspected instances of CSAM through a combination of perceptual and cryptographic hash-based detection and analysis of the images themselves. Larges … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Slow your writing to match the speed of thinking

Before I started using Day One in January last year, I watched every review and setup video available. Many emphasised the speed of typing over handwriting, and I agreed. My hand couldn’t match the pace of my thoughts, which I saw as a drawback. So, I decided to subscribe and typ … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Academic Publishing Oligopoly

The academic publishing platform only mediates between the same group of people separated by time – squeezing them at both ends. This process can only be described as a highly lucrative scam. – Koen Hufkens – Burn the candle at both ends It’s insane that research is so locked up. … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Ebooks aren’t killing print

This article on CBC talks about the thriving independent bookstore industry in Canada where readers of printed material are younger. Ebooks had a surge, then have dropped back and print remains strong. This was also detailed at length in Book Wars. You can read my summary of Book … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

You Have Valuable Stuff in your Notes – PKM Weekly Dec 17 2023 – Issue 101

If you get value out of this newsletter consider supporting it by becoming a member. You can either get my weekly thoughts or all my courses and my weekly thoughts. You could also purchase a course if that fits your needs better. You can get this in your inbox by signing up. Ther … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Enshitification in Polish Trains?

Yes the manufacturer of a train in Poland remotely bricked the train because they didn’t like who worked on it. Now that “hackers” who were hired by the train company to get the train rolling again have fixed it the train company is now threatening to sue the hackers that got a c … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

You don’t need purpose if the task fills your mind

Hey this is usually a members post. Members get all my book notes, and courses when they become members. You should become a member too. From Derek Sivers as he speaks about people searching for their “purposes” or “passion”. When we’re actually engaged in the flow of fascinating … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Louis Rossman – the Enshittification of Amazon

Like Louis, I’ve had a harder and harder time finding anything of quality on Amazon. Worse, like many of the people commenting on the video, I’ve had my negative reviews of bad products taken down because they “weren’t relevant” to the product. I have no idea how saying “this pro … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Crypto is a Scam – Number Go Up by Zeke Faux

Years ago I remember being interested in Bitcoin, simply because it was new interesting tech. I even mined a few dozen of them back when it was possible to do that with an underpowered second hand computer you were willing to leave on for a few days. For the last 5+ years though … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Notebooks Come and Go

Greg shared his on again off again notebook habit. There’s something about writing by hand that feels right to me, even though it’s slower than typing, and you can’t just hit ‘search’ to find something you wrote. But for some reason, I just stopped using my notebook for a few mon … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Noah Herman – Back to the iPad Pro

Much like Noah above, I’ve been using my iPad much more again for getting things done. Just 3 months ago I was using my iPad so little that I was contemplating taking it off my 2nd desk and downsizing from a 12.9” iPad Pro to a Mini. An iPad Mini is far more portable and […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Manipulating Images from the Terminal

With my switch to Fedora as my main working operating system I needed to change how I process images for this site. I want images to be small, but still a good enough quality to see. On macOS I used Permute via SetApp to batch process images, but Permute is not available on Linux … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

I Also Just Want my Music

Jeff walks us through how it’s $3000 to get some kids music. As he says this is further enshitification of content. Yes I pay for YouTube Premium, and Apple Music, and I buy the movies I want to add to my own library. I continue to think that maybe I need to go back to […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

8BitDo Retro Nintendo Keyboard

At one point in my life I was collecting Lego sets that I enjoyed, but that time has passed and my Lego remains in a box after my move to Prince George almost 2 years ago. The Lego hobby has been replaced in a small way by getting interesting keyboards now and that is why […] | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

The State of Notetaking for 2024 – PKM Weekly Issue 100

Seriously if you like this content you should become a member. Members get access to all my book notes and my courses. Back in Issue 053 I reflected on the state of taking notes, and today we’re going to do the same thing. It’s Less about the Software While I still get some email … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Some Books that Show how Lame AI Is

Today we talk about the AI hype cycle and how bad AI really is when someone tries to make it fail. Plus, VC’s want you to believe their hype so they make money, that’s why we’re hearing about AI. To read the whole post become a member. Members get all my courses.. | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

The Stark Reality of the Climate Crisis

The Climate book by Greta Thunberg, is not a book entirely written by the named author, it’s a collection of essays requested by Thunberg. She shows up with her own writing many times in the books, my copy had her writing on darker pages which actually made them harder to read. T … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago

Export Note Links with Obsidian Easy Bake

As I’ve been moving all my book notes over to my website I’ve needed an easy way to get my transclusions from my notes into plain markdown. While Obsidian shows them, when you copy a note normally you don’t get the text at the other end of a transclusion. This is where Easy Bake … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 11 months ago