Monday Miscellany
I was struggling a little today with deciding what to write about. So instead of one large topic, I have 4 mini-topics!
Into The Storm
First up, a podcast I’ve really been enjoying recently: Into the Storm. Technically part of the Froning and Friends podcast (made up of Rich Froning and others in the Crossfit community), Into the Storm is currently a weekly podcast where the hosts take a passage/chapter from the Bible, read through it, and discuss it. It’s not highly structured, nor is it deeply theological. Rather, it’s just a good discussion, and is something I am looking forward to listening to every week.
Introvert Retreat
Next up, a website that I just discovered today: Introvert Retreat, which contains both articles and discussion groups for introverts (yes, you guessed correctly). Over the past few days I’ve become interested in studying more about how introverts operate, and how to balance that personality type in a largely extroverted society. This site has some good ideas on both of those topics (at least, from what I’ve seen so far).
Chris Wiegman’s Blog
Oddly enough, I ran across Chris Wiegman’s blog as part of the #100DaysToOffload challenge. I try to glance through the archives of all of the various blogs taking part in the challenge, and when it came to Chris’s blog, I quickly started saving off links to older posts where I either want to do more research on the topic he talked about, or try some of the projects that he’s done (especially moving from WordPress to Hugo, something I’ve considered many times before but never actually done).
Readwise Alternative
And finally, another website that I just ran across today: Readwise. I don’t recall where I found this at (probably Twitter), but the premise is that Readwise makes it easy to revisit and learn from your book & article highlights. The design is that you sync your highlights & notes from Kindle/Instapaper/iBooks/Pocket, and then their service helps you review the best parts easily through a daily email and app while building a database of your knowledge over time. Sounds nifty, right?
Two problems. First off, no support for physical books, which is my preferred way to read (I take somewhat heavy notes in books as I read, or on a pad of paper next to me). Also, it’s a closed system, and if I’m going to put time into anything like this, I want to control my data and host it myself.
In the past I’ve wanted to build a digital commonplace book for myself. I’ve looked at using Evernote (or a similar tool), but I’ve never been happy with their implementations. I’ve heard of personal wikis before, and while I’ve previously skipped over them, this specific application seems like perhaps the ideal use for a wiki. And so, that led me down the rabbit trail of researching personal wiki systems, which is still ongoing. If anyone has a recommendation for me to check out, please let me know (easiest way to contact me is via social media). Ideally, I would like something that I can host myself, and that is available cross-platform (desktop/mobile, and maybe web).
I’m publishing this as part of 100 Days To Offload (Day 3/100). You can join in yourself by visiting https://100DaysToOffload.com.