“Doing nothing is respectable at tea” —Sasaki Sanmi
Thursday, 23rd April, 2026
Last night’s “lying in bed thinking about websites” thought was that I should use tiddlywiki for my main site. It is appealing. Single html file but fully functional. Plus I always feel like my natural state is wiki.
I have one already but obviously I’d need to start again. (And rebuild the same thing).
Wednesday, 22nd April, 2026
I went to bed thinking I should just pay for pika for a few months and use it. Their markdown and images export makes it super easy to migrate away if I don’t like it or stop using it. I woke up thinking I should just suck it up and spend the time to write stuff in my existing static blog that works just fine.
Last night I also used Claude to convert an old landing page - that I originally stole from someone’s tumblr - to more modern CSS and make it somewhat responsive. I was just using the web browser free version and it took a few goes but it go there in the end. This was with the idea I’d not bother with a blog on my main site and just have a landing page. I even started looking at domain names for the idea of starting a single, new blog that’s everything altogether but without the burden of the past. I gave up on that idea pretty quick as I couldn’t think of anything good and I don’t need another domain. Still sort of think making a new site will help me start a fresh, just where and how and what to decide…small details.
As usual, I don’t really know what I want and so I don’t go anywhere. Plus I’ve been dropping in and out of various sites and so any posts that I have made are scattered about.
Once it’s been a week since I last went hill walking, I get a bit antsy and think it’s about time I went out again! This week is super busy at work, and so my day off is Friday. It’s fine but I typically have less time on Friday’s due to the school runs. The forecast is good though, so hopefully that remains true.
Another thought I had was moving this site to neocities, and then using this domain for the blog. Why? Not sure, I just like neocities. Looked at bearblog too - easy to get sucked into the lifetime subscription but probably shouldn’t start with that. Also tiddlywiki’s in there somewhere.
Not read with the X4 much…
Thought about selling all the lego trains and building a real model railway. Just because it can be much smaller and fit in somewhere but still be interesting. I should investigate prices before I start thinking about it too much, probably even more expensive than Lego! Wondered about selling some of the boy’s lego too - or sell some sets and then buy some different ones. My wife is pretty good about keeping pieces together in the box once they’ve been built and then put away.
Also deleted about 160+GB of photos last night. Mostly raws from 5-10 years ago that I’ll never ever go back to. Was quick to do as at some stage I’d decided to make a raw and final folder in each albums folder to keep the files. Some events I also had my uncle’s photos but often those would be 50GB for one day. I have my own and don’t need his. The bigger task, which I may never do, is culling low quality shots per event. I started looking at some of the photos and had plenty of nostalgia and “oh don’t we look so young”. So that’ll mean it’ll take even longer. I like when Jack puts an older photo at the top of his daily posts, I’d like to do that such that I surface things I miss.
If I had macOS computer, would it simplify everything?
I have an iPhone and so the obvious integration between them is good. Photos from my phone would be easily accessible and manageable, I could pay for iCloud 2TB tier and just keep everything in it, and still get web access and sharing with others (like I have with nextcloud). Apps I like would be accessible, particularly DayOne that I’d like to make more use of. I could use the micro.blog app to manage my website (if I want that). It’s unix-y enough to do things easier than Windows. My email domains are taken care of by iCloud. I could do iCloud sync for obsidian. I could use Tinderbox. It would also just be my computer that no-one else uses, so I don’t have to cater to others’ needs. The new Framework Pro came out, looks nice but pricy (it is the pro model).
I now have a mac keyboard, a Bluetooth mouse and a usb c monitor already that I could hook it up to if I wanted.
But is this all just me trying to justify buying a Neo, that I don’t really need? Do I want everything in Apple world, do I want to be paying for iCloud? I could just use Apple passwords and not bother with vaultwarden anymore.
The ease of it is great, it just makes my “I should self host everything and only use open source software” idealism cry. That option just comes with more effort…maybe.
Oh well, another thing you me to write the same thing about every day and make no progress forward - but at least not backwards….I hope.
Set this site up to build and be pushed to neocities. Maybe when the domain expires I won’t renew it, main site to landing page and be done. Or maybe it’ll be home to a new blog or maybe nothing. I just really like nothing. I remembered I made some goals a while back. There still here. I like how the numbered bullets don’t work so they’re all #1.
Tuesday, 21st April, 2026
So thinking of using micro.blog for my main site…last time I replaced this site with it but it didn’t last. Micro.blog has some shortcomings but overall it’s pretty good. I’m not interested in the new inkwell RSS reader (good job as I’m on the micro.one version and so don’t get it) and maybe other things being made but for a hosted blog it’s pretty good. Adding images is a bit of a method (pika is so easy) but it’s not that bad.
I think replacing this site was the mistake. This is my daily waffle, navel gazing, complaining, therapy session, idle thoughts noone is really interested in. Whereas the other site is more for stuff I’ve actually done. Plus I have more attachment to this site as I built it from scratch. It’s not a theme and a SSG and away I went, and I kept missing it and the “maybe I’ll add more to it”.
I’ve not changed DNS yet but I was thinking about it last night whilst using micro.blog and remembering all the things. I’ll think about it today but it feels like a low hurdle to overcome: a site that I’ll actually write stuff in vs. one I don’t.
A reason I took away the archive and only keep x number of posts on the page here is often I don’t want to remember what I wrote. It got written that day to be said. Micro.blog doesn’t need that. Maybe this stuff should be private anyway. 🤫
The only thing that will nag at me is “it’s not self hosted, what about backups, I could make the site, why am I paying for this (luckily it’s $10 per year so that shouldn’t come into it).” If pika was $10/year I’d be using it immediately. Anyway, it doesn’t matter a jot if I change my mind again. Just have to install all the apps on my phone again.
(Also if I had a Neo I could use the micro.blog client or mars writer (w/e) to add content).
Work doesn’t like git, so that decides the obsidian thing and sync etc. I’d still like to access my work notes outside of my work laptop, and so probably just going to use OneNote. It’s not cool, if note taking is ever considered cool, it’s just a blank page for me to write notes and then find them later. And really, I should apply the same approach to my personal notes.
Now it’s evening and I’m not 100% sure about micro.blog. (There’s a surprise).
I found some notes from 2021 where I’m trying to make the same decision about micro.blog. Five years ago and I still have the same issues.
Pika has added search, which is nice, although not something I’d noticed was missing. I find it funny how I get so worked up over £4.50 a month - and agonise over subscribing to pika because of it. I think it’s also as I look at the $60 number. I go to the supermarket and spend more than £4.50 on snacks. There’s also me not controlling everything - even though if I dig deep enough then I don’t control everything on most of my sites. I don’t host it at home, it’s still some vps or cdn or whatever. It just doesn’t cost anything. It’s also the principle of paying for it. But, these days I don’t want to bother hosting things or looking after stuff.
Still consider binning it all. Just don’t bother and then I don’t have to worry. Just keep my radio blog, but maybe add a few non radio posts for stuff.
Made a list of my web apps I use / need. Not actually that many and so thinking of consolidating onto a small VPS or maybe even just a pi at home. Whilst doing this, I thought about photos backup. This uses about 800GB. I wonder if I can cut that back by culling a bunch of photos I don’t need. Quite the job to do it.
Monday, 20th April, 2026
I’m not sure work and personal stuff should live in the same obsidian vault. Mostly as I don’t want personal stuff sync’d onto my work computer.
I’m still not sure about obsidian either. I’m fine with it for work, although I did wonder if I should just use onenote. Particularly as I often screenshot stuff to save for later. Onenote would mean it’s all online and sync’d, could access from anywhere and copilot can digest it all. Maybe I’ll paste my pages into it and try it for a while.
Part of the problem is that I opened dynalist recently and I remembered how much I like it. It’s also so easy, has a phone app and an outliner by default.
Obsidian is nice, much nicer than a few years ago when I first tried it.
Part of my problem is that I’m not in the habit of making notes about stuff, and so I’m not thinking about writing things and so it doesn’t happen.
Went for a walk at lunchtime and wondered what I’d do if our house burnt down. I mean, like step by step. I don’t have much confidence in insurance providers to act with speed. Probably thinking this as our home insurance is due for renewal.
The (c)2021 at the bottom of dynalist makes me sad.
Sunday, 19th April, 2026
The more the kids use the computer, the more I look for somewhere else to sit. Now that it’s not freezing, I’m in the garage with my Apple keyboard and printed phone stand and this is where I’m writing. The worktop is a bit messy, and the keyboard must be slightly different to the one I’m used to as I keep hitting \ for enter and sometimes other keys. However, it’s a nice typing experience and I’m pleased. I did think about getting an iPad so. The screen is bigger but then the kids will just snaffle the iPad and I won’t see it again. Whereas no one takes my phone. I could get a laptop that’s just mine (hello Neo) but I worry it’ll be prone is distractions and just another device to watch YouTube / look at reddit on when I don’t really want to. I obviously could use it to do productive things (whatever those might be) but I still like the idea of fewer devices in the house.
So I’m thinking about a new phone 😅. I’m quite drawn to the new iPhone 17 Pro as I think it has the 48 MP telephone (unless that was the max - I can’t remember, still half way through a conversation with Gemini about comparing iPhone models) and when I’m out hiking, I do often use the telephone to frame the interesting features. I rarely use ultrawide, I just find the distortion too much, I suppose I could crop it a little, but I find the standard lens a good focal length for capturing the broad summit views. What I do like to take though, are photos of other summits in the distance, and this I use the telephoto for. They’re okay on my 13 pro - it has a telephoto lens but 12 MP, so any zooming and it’s a pixel mess. Also occasionally I’ll see a mountain hare or eagle or other more interesting wildlife and it would be nice to capture that so it’s more than just a splodge on in the frame.
These phones are more than the Neo, and basically MacBook Air prices. However, it is the most used device and the camera aspect is instead of me carrying a camera - which I could do but the three lenses in the device is nice. I do have thoughts of bringing a medium format camera with me up a mountain - and in fact there’s a nice thread about it on the SOTA reflector. But this isn’t going to replace my phone - maybe I’ll do it this week…not sure what 120 film I have but it’s probably going out of date.
I’ve done my Mountain Goat to get to 1,000 points and now I’m not sure what my purpose is. What my purpose should be is to have nice walks out, enjoy the scenery, get some peace and quiet, get some exercise and have a bit of fun on the radio. I still can’t help being drawn to checklists and completing sets - like doing all the munros, or doing all the Central Scotland summits (I’ve done all the Eastern Scotland ones but then that’s where I live) - and so I’ve lost interest in the summits close by. Have to say, I do get a bit tired of all the driving when I want to go further afield. This week coming I could take Monday off and have a long day, but the weather looks disappointing, especially when the whole of the rest of the week is blue skies and sunshine. The only other day I can sensibly take off work is Friday, but I have to do the school run, and so I don’t get much time. However, I’m going to do it and go on Friday vs. My plan of going on a long walk in the drizzle and cloud to tick off another Munro. I’m going with Fraser, so it’ll be a nice day out anyway.
Reading that Digital Minimalism book in bed at night is probably not the best way. I tend for forget about the book when I go to sleep and then remember it again when I start the next night. This is fine for fiction books as I remember the story but I’m not doing anything with it later. Whereas this book is perhaps instructive and I should be thinking about what I should do.
Last night it was about walking and solitude. That resonates with me! The book is written with social media and phones in mind, whereas I think for me, it’s the computer. Sometimes I will look at reddit on my phone for too long - I have set zero minutes for screen time but I think that doesn’t work as I just skip it at the start, whereas giving myself 10 minutes then it stops helps cut me off when I’m on it. I’ve not investigated a way to completely remove it from my phone - I’m just visiting in a browser - and if that would be better - i.e. do this 30 days with no reddit to break my idle impulses to open it up to see if there’s anything interesting (rarely is the answer).
We sorted out one of the boy’s Yoto card collection, and I made new cards for the audiobooks that are only on my phone. So now he can listen to anything and not ask for my phone to control stuff. He also wanted to print a new box to hold them all in, and of course there are already 100s of designs on makerworld and we just picked one. I dug about in my colours and found several I’d ordered by never opened. I’ve not done much on the printer recently, so it was nice to have something to print. I think I should finish or maybe redo the 5” rpi rack I was printing and actually setup the pis in it.
There are a few other projects lingering that I’ve not started yet. Again, I should probably finish them - a few radio antenna, and a mic I want to make. I’ve got all the bits, just need to actually do it. They’re the perfect thing to do in an evening - not particularly difficult or a big project. Just never work up the motivation to do it - or just tired.
My excitement for Obsidian peaked and died very quickly. I think I’ll stick to using it for work, as it’s nicer to read the text than VS Code was, but not sure about the whole note system and everything else for home use. Feels like creating work. I reminded myself of my dynalist setup, which once upon a time was supposed to be my note system. Still has a bunch of notes in it from way back, some are useful and some aren’t. Mostly a collection of lists. I’m just not sure what I want to make notes on.
Read a book, make notes, change your life. Maybe.
Analyse spending to see where money is going. This boils down to “don’t buy stuff”. Most everything else either has no option or I look for the cheapest at time of renewal. All the kids activities cost money, but not going to not do them. Streaming stuff - we have Netflix, Spotify and BBC TV licence (bloody tax). It’s me who spends money on stuff!
There’s logs of “useful” things, like doing x with car, or met so and so, and whatever that I might want to remember later. I think I like the idea of capturing those things. Just never seem to get round to it.
Then there’s a DayOne family journal I like to keep - although it’s been bare for quite a while now. I tell myself I’d rather spend time writing in that, than some well organised system of notes. But I do neither.
I’ve not even touched the subject of paper notes, typewriters, and pens etc. Least you get lovely physical things if you go down that route.
Perhaps I should try and migrate myself away from here into my personal daily notes, and then anything and everything can go into them. Which might be surprisingly as often this site is everything and anything! Probably time I wasn’t hiding in the garage and was doing something.
I also like this keyboard as it has a physical on/off button, which makes it simpler to disconnect from my phone.
I wish I had a farm…or mostly just a big space with a barn so I can do fun stuff, radio things etc.
Saturday, 18th April, 2026
Got a new to me Magic Keyboard to use with my phone for writing notes, blog, journal etc. I do have a perfectly good Bluetooth Microsoft surface keyboard…so why another? It’s mac and white and most importantly, tenkeyless. This makes it a little nicer on the desk, or table, or bureau, wherever I am to write. Fits the symmetry of the iPhone better too. I printed a very small iPhone stand that folds up (meant to be a keychain one) to use to hold up the phone. It’s nice.
Slightly annoying is that it’s Lightning connector and not USB-C. I’m sure when I looked up the A2450 model it was USB-C. It’s fine as I have lightning cables, and my phone is old enough to still use lightning, but it would’ve been nice if it was usb-c as everntually, everything will be usbc. Probably by eventually, I’ll have bought something else anyway.
Was looking in my dynalist files last night…perhaps for inspiration about how to setup Obsidian. Found an export of my original Drummer blog. Was fun reading back though it.
Sometimes I don’t want to take notes for myself. I like public wikis and blogs as then my notes are fo everyone. Maybe noone will look at them but seems better to keep them there than in a folder hidden on a computer which I probably struggle to remember where they are.
In safety, the most preferred solution is to remove the risk entirely. I don’t own a petrol lawnmower, so I don’t have a tank of petrol in the garage anymore, and no tank can’t burn.
If I have no notes then I don’t need a storage system…?
Friday, 17th April, 2026
Two things, or maybe three.
