Located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, NC, Cone Manor, the former home of one of NC’s textile barons, overlooks the frozen surface of Bass Lake down below.
Affirmations - IndieWeb Carnival for February 2025
This month, the topic for those participating in the monthly IndieWeb Carnival is "affirmations." I've long enjoyed reading poetry and collecting quotes. I will stop whatever I am doing if I hear a recording of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Winston Churchill, two of the greatest speakers to ever be recorded. I am inordinately fond of the power of language. Several years ago, I decided to see if it was possible to achieve happiness through adopting positive behaviors. Among the many things I tried over the course of the year-long experiment was internalizing affirmations. I didn't use an app for it or search through my quotes collection. Instead, I looked at the parts of my life that caused me the most stress. Then, I flipped that by determining what my favorite things were about myself.
Affirmations for Stress
The year I undertook this project was one of changes. After 15 years of working in elementary and middle schools supporting teachers and students using Apple computers, I switched to working in high schools where everything was Windows-based. I transitioned from using computers and software with which I was intimately familiar, to systems I loathed and had done my best to avoid for a long time. Not only that, I was faced with learning the ins and outs of the faculty and staff at four giant campuses. I went from a life on cruise control to one where the stress level was ramped up by the demands of high-stakes online testing, students striving for college admissions and ramped up security concerns.
Since I was trying everything in my power to make that year the best I could, I used two affirmations, which I wrote out by hand in a notebook every morning.
- I react calmly to stressful situations
- I am intelligent and resourceful. I find solutions to problems. I am not defeated by them.
I repeated those affirmations to myself before I got out of my car in the mornings as work and I had post-it notes taped to my laptop as constant reminders. I was doing a lot of other positive things that year, meditating, walking several miles a day, striving for eight hours of sleep a night, eating healthy. Combining all of those things did, in fact, keep the stress level down. Despite my misgivings, I finished out my career truly enjoying the time I spent working with older students and adapting to a whole new workflow.
Having a Purpose
The other word game i played with myself, not only that one year but right until this very day was taking the time to determine my purpose. What is it I'm on earth to do? It's a hallmark of my personality to like the things I like as much as I possibly can. I am not one to dip my toe into the pool. I do a cannonball. Because I am usually convinced that my latest passion is the best thing ever, I naturally try to convince other people to take part. When I started rescuing parrots, I had two aviaries built at my house within a year. I set up anyone who was interested with a bird of their own and helped them outfit a habitat and choose the right food. When I was into cycling, my greatest joy was helping people train for and complete their first 100-mile bike rides. When it comes to tech, I have spent the past thirty years showing people how to use various gadgets and programs to be more productive and creative. With blogging, I went from one blog to four in just a few months and I evangelize for the IndieWeb every chance I get.
My Purpose — To let my curiosity and enthusiasm create and nurture passions I can share with others.
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Tapestry by Iconfactory on Day 2
Announced a year ago on Kickstarter, Tapestry by Iconfactory was
released on February 4. Tapestry is an aggregator that creates a
combined timeline from a long list of possible sources including :
- RSS feeds
- YouTube channels
- Podcasts
- Mastodon
- Bluesky
- Micro.blog
- Tumblr
Items in your timeline are shown in chronological order. There is no algorithm. Searching within Tapestry searches across all feeds. Likewise, setting a mute filter for terms such as "Elon Musk" will block content from every source. Content from different sources is color coded to make readily apparent which resource your information is coming from. If you install Tapestry on a phone and an iPad, your reading position syncs across devices via iCloud. You can combine sources in any way you want to have your own custom feeds. I am still experimenting, but so far I created the following:
- Personal bloggers
- Hard news
- Tech news
- Combined Mastodon and Bluesky home feeds
- Favorite individual social media feeds, since you can add a feed for a single account holder (e.g. Kottke, AOC, Joan Westenberg)
The settings allow you to choose an icon, a theme and a font for the timeline. You can use the in app browser or your default browser to view content. I recommend doing that so you can view content using reader mode. Reddit links open in the Reddit app. Mastodon links open in my browser, although I can use the share sheet to open them in my preferred app. Tapestry also has bookmarks.
The privacy policy states that all searches take place on your
device. The developers do not collect any data.
Iconfactory offers monthly subscriptions for $1.99, yearly for $19.99 and a one time purchase for $79.99. A Mac version is in the works, but is not here yet. There is a free version with limited features. Get it on the App Store
Tapestry by Iconfactory on Day 2
Announced a year ago on Kickstarter, Tapestry by Iconfactory was
released on February 4. Tapestry is an aggregator that creates a
combined timeline from a long list of possible sources including :
- RSS feeds
- YouTube channels
- Podcasts
- Mastodon
- Bluesky
- Micro.blog
- Tumblr
Items in your timeline are shown in chronological order. There is no algorithm. Searching within Tapestry searches across all feeds. Likewise, setting a mute filter for terms such as "Elon Musk" will block content from every source. Content from different sources is color coded to make readily apparent which resource your information is coming from. If you install Tapestry on a phone and an iPad, your reading position syncs across devices via iCloud. You can combine sources in any way you want to have your own custom feeds. I am still experimenting, but so far I created the following:
- Personal bloggers
- Hard news
- Tech news
- Combined Mastodon and Bluesky home feeds
- Favorite individual social media feeds, since you can add a feed for a single account holder (e.g. Kottke, AOC, Joan Westenberg)
The settings allow you to choose an icon, a theme and a font for the timeline. You can use the in app browser or your default browser to view content. I recommend doing that so you can view content using reader mode. Reddit links open in the Reddit app. Mastodon links open in my browser, although I can use the share sheet to open them in my preferred app. Tapestry also has bookmarks.
The privacy policy states that all searches take place on your
device. The developers do not collect any data.
Iconfactory offers monthly subscriptions for $1.99, yearly for $19.99 and a one time purchase for $79.99. A Mac version is in the works, but is not here yet. There is a free version with limited features. Get it on the App Store
Linville Gorge in Western North Carolina, home to some of the most challenging hiking in the Eastern US.
We appeal to the angels we have, even if they aren’t the angels we think we need.
Cost vs. Benefit
When making a decision is easy, it is because there is little to no downside to taking action. I decide to get up early most mornings because I treasure being able to relax with coffee before heading to my office. I choose to be polite to most people I deal with because making people smile and being helpful makes me feel good. Those are easy choices to make for me today, although they are more difficult for some. Getting out of bed is a real challenge when you are depressed. Engaging with people in a friendly way can be intimidating for the painfully shy or introverted folks who do not want to invite uncomfortable small talk.
Often times, deciding to do something that's supposed to be good for me can be challenging. Currently, I am really struggling to be more physically active. I've used the fact that I had my knees replaced a few years back to serve as my excuse for not walking, an activity that I've enjoyed most of my life. I walked before work and at lunch for years, listening to podcasts and books or just enjoying the sounds from the local park or the neighborhood. Now, to my utter embarrassment, even short walks leave me breathing uncomfortably hard. My pace is glacial. To alleviate that, I'll have to put up with it until my body starts to adapt to the increased activity. I'll get to spend less time comfortably reading on my couch. That is the only downside. The upside is weight loss, better health, a longer life expectancy and no longer gasping for air anytime I have to walk uphill. Sounds like a no-brainer, but it hasn't been easy to decide to take the first walk.
Then there are other times when it's not obvious what the best course of action is. Life in America for people with the values I hold dear is full of outrage right now. Every day we find out about some horrible new thing the fascists are doing to vulnerable people. Today I learned that they've removed access to information on a host of topics including hate crime data, military suicides, teen dating violence and access to victim's compensation. It makes me crazy. Of course, I could easily filter out that news and read about new laptops and predictions for the next iPhone. I could just declare that my mental health is too important to risk being constantly angry about things I cannot control. I'm not going to do that, of course, due to having a conscience and not wanting to be a selfish older white guy who acts like nobody else matters as long as I've got mine. That's the attitude that let MAGA take over in the first place.
Every so often it is helpful to make lists of pros and cons or to seek counsel from friends, whether they be IRL or from online communities. Other times, going with my gut instinct is the only thing I can do. Every single day is full of choices. Because I am a world-class procrastinator, my choice is often to just wait on more information. That can sometimes be good, frequently it isn't, But, I give myself a break. Like almost everybody, I am doing the best I can with what I've got to work with. I just have to keep moving forward.
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Make Flying Less Miserable Using These Guides
I only fly two or three times a year. Most of my trips start at the regional airport a few miles from my home and involve changing planes at one or more major hubs, like Atlanta or Charlotte. If you've done much post-9/11 flying, you know the drill. Or, rather, you know that the drill is constantly changing. Shoes on or shoes off? Laptop in or out of the bag? How big can my deodorant be? That's just the stuff you have to know to get past the very first hurdle!
Then there are the rules about luggage size, the number of bags, worries about food and drink, your rights as a passenger when it comes to delays and canceled flights. Just how long can you be made to sit on the tarmac if your plane can't take off? Even if you are a seasoned traveler, there are extra steps to take for longer, overseas flights to have the best experience.
Even if you can afford a first class experience from beginning to end, sometimes the best you can hope for is to just suffer less than normal. The following guides don't answer every question, but they are a good start to having a better experience.
TSA's Top Travel Tips | Transportation Security Administration - Get TSA pre-check, Traveling with strollers, car seats and breast milk, Military travel guide, Up-to-date rules on liquids
10 Health Tips for Plane Travel | Northwestern Medicine - Many people experience some form of discomfort or sickness when they travel by plane. Dry mouth, aching limbs, swollen ankles — they’re par for the course on plane rides and they are, in fact, caused by the very environment you’re traveling in. That means there’s nothing you can do to eliminate these issues entirely, but you can take a few steps in the right direction
7 Must-Know Tips for First-Time Flyers - NerdWallet - You want to head for the gate with the swagger of a seasoned traveler, but that's hard to pull off when you don't know how much it costs to check a bag, or what to expect when you go through airport security.So how can you deal? Reviewing these tips before takeoff can boost your confidence, making your trip easier and more worry-free.
10 Airport Tips & Tricks for Stress-Free Travel - Airports and air travel can be stressful and confusing for new and seasoned travelers alike, though. With all the steps to navigate, rules, and the need to get the timing down just right, flying can quickly become overwhelming without a little help.
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Privileges - Operate Your Mac Safely
As much as you may not want to hear it, using an administrator account on your Mac as your daily driver is absolutely not the best practice. It's bad because it provides full access rights across the system to every application and process running in that account. If malware or a bad actor gains control of the administrator account, they could potentially install unwanted applications, alter system settings, or access or delete sensitive data. Limiting the use of an administrator account helps to mitigate these risks. Unfortunately, most people consider it a huge hassle to use the standard Mac method of temporarily elevating the privileges of a standard account. So they just accept the risk and use an admin account anyway. You don't have to be like them.
Use the free app, Privileges, a macOS application that lets users perform daily tasks as a standard user while easily requesting administrator rights. Users can set a specific timeframe in the app's settings to handle tasks like installing or uninstalling applications. To request admin rights, just click the Privileges icon in your Dock or menu bar. Using a standard user account instead of an administrator enhances your Mac's security and is a best practice. All users, including developers, can benefit from using Privileges. The app is compatible with macOS 11.x - 15.x. It has recently been updated.
Features
- Easy install
- Perfect for day-to-day use
- Turn on admin rights anytime
- Enjoy standard user security
- Command line use supported
New Privileges 2.1 features
- Installer package
- Revoke admin rights at login
- Unified expiration interval for administrator privileges
- Renew expiring administrator privileges
- Run actions on privilege change
- Status item
- Command line tool now also supports Touch ID
- AppleScript support
You can download the Privileges installer on GitHub.
Privileges - Operate Your Mac Safely
As much as you may not want to hear it, using an administrator account on your Mac as your daily driver is absolutely not the best practice. It's bad because it provides full access rights across the system to every application and process running in that account. If malware or a bad actor gains control of the administrator account, they could potentially install unwanted applications, alter system settings, or access or delete sensitive data. Limiting the use of an administrator account helps to mitigate these risks. Unfortunately, most people consider it a huge hassle to use the standard Mac method of temporarily elevating the privileges of a standard account. So they just accept the risk and use an admin account anyway. You don't have to be like them.
Use the free app, Privileges, a macOS application that lets users perform daily tasks as a standard user while easily requesting administrator rights. Users can set a specific timeframe in the app's settings to handle tasks like installing or uninstalling applications. To request admin rights, just click the Privileges icon in your Dock or menu bar. Using a standard user account instead of an administrator enhances your Mac's security and is a best practice. All users, including developers, can benefit from using Privileges. The app is compatible with macOS 11.x - 15.x. It has recently been updated.
Features
- Easy install
- Perfect for day-to-day use
- Turn on admin rights anytime
- Enjoy standard user security
- Command line use supported
New Privileges 2.1 features
- Installer package
- Revoke admin rights at login
- Unified expiration interval for administrator privileges
- Renew expiring administrator privileges
- Run actions on privilege change
- Status item
- Command line tool now also supports Touch ID
- AppleScript support
You can download the Privileges installer on GitHub.
Lonesome Lake in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, seen from the shoreline and again the next day atop Franconia Ridge in the background.
Shaving Sucks. Why Do We Do It?
I joined the military when I was 18. Every enlisted soldier's introduction to that lifestyle is basic training, a nine week period where other soldiers a few years older than you yell at you a lot and make you do things that don't always make a lot of sense. One of the things they make you do is shave your face every day, whether you need to or not. God help you if your bear growth is faster or heavier than normal, because you will spend much time defending your genetic abnormality to green suited screaming men who do not believe that you adequately groomed yourself that particular morning.
I've worn facial hair almost all of my post-military life. I don't like to shave. It takes time I'd rather use to something more useful. I don't like the mess, the cleaning up of the mess, the potential for cutting myself, the cost of razors and blades or anything else associated with the ritual society inflicts on us.
The freaks who perpetuate the idea that shaving is necessary have existed throughout history. It didn't make any more sense in the olden days than it does now. Read on.
The History & Evolution of Shaving
History of Women's Shaving – The Razor Company
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Technology Edition of the Blog Questions Challenge
I'm apt to write about almost anything, but the subject that got me into blogging was tech. It's only fitting that I end up participating in this current iteration of the blogging question challenge.
I was challenged by Kyle - Blog Questions Challenge: Technology Edition - Kyle's Tech Korner
When Did You First Get Interested In Technology?
I started late. For years, I avoided anything related to computers because I thought they required something I didn't have — advanced math skills. I associated them with the brainy guys who read books on physics from high school. My brother was one of those guys, and he had a computer, so that reinforced my belief. It wasn't until my uncle, whose twin passions were coon hunting and tractor pulls, got a computer that I thought I might be able to learn something about using a PC. It was his DOS 386 where I first logged on to an online community, Prodigy and learned that what you can do with technology is practically limitless. It was December 1993. I was 28.
What's Your Favorite Piece Of Technology All-Time?
It's a toss up between the first computer I built myself and my first Mac, but I'm going with the Titanium Powerbook G4 my job provided me soon after it was released in January 2001. It's the computer I used to transition from the Classic Mac OS to Mac OS X. I used it to run old Mac admin tools like Mac Manager and Network Assistant and the late, great productivity suite, Apple Works. I even had a painfully slow copy of PC Anywhere on it for doing Windows chores required by my job. I was so enamored with Apple tech that I learned more in six months of using that Powerbook than I had in years of Windows usage.
What's Your Favorite Piece Of Technology Right Now?
I have almost every bit of Apple kit one can get apart from AirPods and that dumb ass strap on face computer, no disrespect to anyone who spent $4K on one. And, although I love my phone and never, ever worry about using it too much, my favorite piece of gear is my M2 MacBook Air — the fastest, most responsive laptop I have ever used. I have an M3 iMac at work, but I prefer the MBA. I associate it with fun and learning and all the emotions that come with having done so much writing with it over the past year of non-stop blogging.
Name One New Cool Piece Of Technology We'll Have In 25 Years!
It's my sincere hope that whatever we have in 25 years is a tool developed outside of Silicon Valley and the disturbing privacy invading, autocrat coddling, wealth extracting tendencies of today's big 5 predators: Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Amazon and Google. I love what Apple tech has provided me over the years, but the recent trend by the company and its leadership has been to flout as many laws as it can to extract as much wealth as it can from people like me. There is no longer even any lip service to making the world a better place. In 25 years, I want to be able to use affordable tech that provides value in a 100% ethical way — whatever it looks like.
Final Thoughts
To me, the primary value in tech is and has always been to connect me with other humans. I am still impressed by tools many take for granted — instant messaging, email, web publishing viewable by anyone in the world within seconds. Computers can and do bring people closer. They can and do spread good ideas and empower people. Of course, they also do the opposite some times, but I have hope that the arc will swing into the light.
I'd like to see what @jarunmb@techhub.social, @dhry@mastodon.socialmastodon.social and @mbjones@social.lol have to say.
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Latest Apps of Note from Mac Menu Bar
Luuk over at Mac
Menu Bar has been busy as usual, keeping up with the latest releases
of new Menu Bar apps for the community. Here are my favorites from the
recent additions:
AutoShot - Automatic screenshots in set intervals - This app automatically takes a screenshot of your workspace at intervals you specify and even if you are using multiple monitors. You can choose the file format you want to use for the screenshots and where they are kept in your file structure. You can alleviate concerns about excessive disk usage by setting auto-delete parameters. (Free)
Sprinkles – Customize any website - One of the features that Arc browser users like is the ability to apply custom CSS to websites. With Sprinkles, you can bring that functionality to Safari, Chrome and Firefox. Sprinkles runs a tiny webserver on your machine. When you visit a website, the browser extension asks this server for scripts. The server looks for 4 files in your Sprinkles scripts directory:
- global.js
- global.css
- github.com.js
- github.com.css
When there's a hit, the extension adds the provided JS and CSS. (Free)
Mackernews - If you frequent Hackernews to see the latest goings-on in the tech world, this tiny app makes it easy to see and connect to the latest hot stories. Just choose the headline from a dropdown menu and instantly load the story. (Free)
AutoRun - Run Apps. Mac App Store - This simple app can be used to launch apps or run scripts at a specific time or at regular intervals. Some possible use cases:
- Run Applescript to eject backup disk before you wake up so you can just disconnect it
- Launch a file synchronization app once a day to back up folders to cloud drives
- Run scripts to start and stop apps you don't want running simultaneously on two computers
- Automatically launch your task manager, calendar, email and browser every morning just before you wake up (Free)
Latest Apps of Note from Mac Menu Bar
Luuk over at Mac
Menu Bar has been busy as usual, keeping up with the latest releases
of new Menu Bar apps for the community. Here are my favorites from the
recent additions:
AutoShot - Automatic screenshots in set intervals - This app automatically takes a screenshot of your workspace at intervals you specify and even if you are using multiple monitors. You can choose the file format you want to use for the screenshots and where they are kept in your file structure. You can alleviate concerns about excessive disk usage by setting auto-delete parameters. (Free)
Sprinkles – Customize any website - One of the features that Arc browser users like is the ability to apply custom CSS to websites. With Sprinkles, you can bring that functionality to Safari, Chrome and Firefox. Sprinkles runs a tiny webserver on your machine. When you visit a website, the browser extension asks this server for scripts. The server looks for 4 files in your Sprinkles scripts directory:
- global.js
- global.css
- github.com.js
- github.com.css
When there's a hit, the extension adds the provided JS and CSS. (Free)
Mackernews - If you frequent Hackernews to see the latest goings-on in the tech world, this tiny app makes it easy to see and connect to the latest hot stories. Just choose the headline from a dropdown menu and instantly load the story. (Free)
AutoRun - Run Apps. Mac App Store - This simple app can be used to launch apps or run scripts at a specific time or at regular intervals. Some possible use cases:
- Run Applescript to eject backup disk before you wake up so you can just disconnect it
- Launch a file synchronization app once a day to back up folders to cloud drives
- Run scripts to start and stop apps you don't want running simultaneously on two computers
- Automatically launch your task manager, calendar, email and browser every morning just before you wake up (Free)
The Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad in North Carolina.
32-Bit Cafe, A Comprehensive Resource for Bloggers and Personal Websites
A web site for baby bloggers or even experienced ones needing some fresh ideas, 32-Bit Cafe has plenty to explore. It has guides and tutorials, page ideas, website topics, art and graphic design, technical info and a massive resource list.
You've just made a website, but now you're unsure where to go from here. Here are some ideas for things to add and techniques to learn. If you need more inspiration, browse other folks' websites and surf the 'net! You'll surely find something that you want to add to your own personal website.
Learn about:
- Accessibility
- Beginner HTML
- JavaScript
- Blogging Platforms
- Static site generators
- Code generators
- Code snippets
- Analytics
- Guestbooks
- Forms
- layouts
- Web Hosts
- Webrings
What Books Had the Greatest Influence on You?
It's the last night of this trip and my last repost. This list of the most influential books in my life inspired several other bloggers to create their own lists. My original offer still stands, if you make one, let me know and I'll link to it.
I think you can figure out a lot about a person if you know what books have had the most impact on them. At one point or another, each of these books was my current favorite. They all had a lasting impact on me. I'd love to see your list. It doesn't have to be 15 books and you don't need to be impressive (although if you really loved War and Peace, by all means list it). If you make a list, let me know and I will add a link to it.
- Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth (motion study?)
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (thanks, Mom!)
- Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi (in 5th grade!)
- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (the first of many SciFi books)
- A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (changed my life)
- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (best…novel…ever)
- From Here to Eternity by James Jones (pre WW2 Hawaii)
- The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence Ritter (about turn of the 20th century baseball players)
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (planted a seed in my character)
- Fields of Fire by James Webb (Vietnam novel by the Virginia senator)
- Woodie Guthrie, A Life by Joe Klein (recommended by Bruce Springsteen)
- The Rider by Tim Krabbé (a novel about cycling)
- Alcoholics Anonymous by Bill W. and others (life saving)
- The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hahn
- The New Centurions by Joseph Wambaugh (the best police procedural writer ever)
Quick Reviews - For Sharing and Reference
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to share you general opinion and ratings of movies, TV shows, games, books or whatever, Quick Reviews, a new app by Indy developer, blogger, YouTuber and podcaster, Matt Birchler can generate a graphic for you in just a few clicks.
The free version lets you create unlimited reviews and allows you the leeway to control all the design elements: accent color, font, theme, rating icons, light/dark mode, default review type.
Quick Reviews also has clipboard detection and will use the graphic you've copied to automatically illustrate your review. You can also set it to automatically copy your review text out to your clipboard when saving the finished graphic.
The paid version, a $9.99 subscription, offers to populate your review metadata, including art from The Movie DB, allowing you to even import a suggested rating if you like. You can also import movie reviews from your Letterboxd account.
Both versions of the app feature filtering by media type, year and rating.
The current 1.0 release of Quick Reviews is not yet Mac compatible, but it's on the developer's roadmap. As for now, creating a quick graphic to share on social media or on a personal blog is supremely easy and quick. Matt is also the kind of thoughtful developer needed in the Mac community.
Get Quick View in the iOS App Store.
Quick Reviews - For Sharing and Reference
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to share you general opinion and ratings of movies, TV shows, games, books or whatever, Quick Reviews, a new app by Indy developer, blogger, YouTuber and podcaster, Matt Birchler can generate a graphic for you in just a few clicks.
The free version lets you create unlimited reviews and allows you the leeway to control all the design elements: accent color, font, theme, rating icons, light/dark mode, default review type.
Quick Reviews also has clipboard detection and will use the graphic you've copied to automatically illustrate your review. You can also set it to automatically copy your review text out to your clipboard when saving the finished graphic.
The paid version, a $9.99 subscription, offers to populate your review metadata, including art from The Movie DB, allowing you to even import a suggested rating if you like. You can also import movie reviews from your Letterboxd account.
Both versions of the app feature filtering by media type, year and rating.
The current 1.0 release of Quick Reviews is not yet Mac compatible, but it's on the developer's roadmap. As for now, creating a quick graphic to share on social media or on a personal blog is supremely easy and quick. Matt is also the kind of thoughtful developer needed in the Mac community.
Get Quick View in the iOS App Store.