Some days you just lose an hour or two on computer issues that aren’t a problem until they’re suddenly a crippling problem ->
Bose 700 UC headphones work fine and use everyday for years … Then one day the sound is fine, but the mic function has mysteriously disappeared from existence in the computer. Reboot the computer, reboot the headset (try to figure out how), remove Bluetooth entry, try to clear pairing list from headset (try to figure out how), reference AI for help suggestions, etc. …
Then finally, the background functionality you rely on for hours everyday that’s never an issue, is mysteriously back and you can start working again … eesh.
On our recent family road trip to Maine, did some audibook listening via the Libby public library app. I never read C.S. Lewis' Narnia series as a kid, but have been discovering them with my kids. We ended up listening to two from the series on the trip: The Horse and His Boy, and The Silver Chair.
Enjoyed both, and definitely found the latter particularly engaging myself. A big part of that was the reader: Jeremy Northam. And as the graphic below suggests, it wasn’t so much “read” by Northam, as “performed” (in a good way). Not that it’s an overly dramatic reading, but the character voices he does are great and do draw you deeper into the story (including Puddleglum, a particular star of the tale).
Anywho, a recommend if you’re looking for something and/ or come across. 🙂👍
Jeff Cavins provides a 20-minute overview of The Great Adventure Bible from Ascension Press, which powerfully embeds his Bible Timeline method with wonderful maps, charts, explanations, and cross-references turning what can be a daunting text into a highly accessible and spiritually fruitful treasure.
Like Proton Pass for personal use, but seeing good things about Keeper for business team use.
(And have been less-than-thrilled with LastPass over the years - adequate but feel like could be notably better.)
Need to check your favicon? – Look no further: Favicon Checker.
(Okay, so slightly niche, but still useful, product.)
Finally getting around to rolling out Mythos Theme released by Matt Langford in Aug 2025 –
As part of that, just learning that as of Oct 2025 he migrated his personal blog to Bear.
Nonetheless, still appreciate his work and also seems like he may be keeping connections to the Micro.blog platform.
I was today years old when I realized I could mark a text message thread as unread on the iPhone.
Color me tickled.
“To be silent the whole day long, see no newspaper, hear no radio, listen to no gossip, be thoroughly and completely lazy, thoroughly and completely indifferent to the fate of the world is the finest medicine a man can give himself. The book-learning gradually dribbles away; problems melt and dissolve; ties are gently severed; thinking, when you deign to indulge in it, becomes very primitive; the body becomes a new and wonderful instrument; you look at plants or stones or fish with different eyes; you wonder what people are struggling to accomplish by their frenzied activities; you know there is a war on but you haven’t the faintest idea what it’s about or why people should enjoy killing one another!”
—Henry Miller
(via Austin Kleon)
The grass isn’t greener on the other side, its greener where you water it.
An unexpected and insightful twist to an old favorite.
“American leaders could learn from Kemi Badenoch” by Bobby Zirkin via Baltimore Sun
Whether one agrees with every position she takes, Badenoch represents a style of leadership we could use. American leaders are increasingly timid, unwilling to tackle difficult issues and driven by the fringes of the electorate. In an era marked by political polarization, institutional distrust and growing public frustration, Badenoch continues to show something different: a leader prepared to defend principles, encourage debate and pursue policies grounded in opportunity. For those Americans seeking a new generation of political leadership, you need only look to Badenoch for the prototype.
Two hundred and fifty years after breaking from England to form this amazing republic, perhaps there is still something we can learn from across the pond.
From Ben Sasse in 6 Feb 2026 WSJ op-ed, Politics Should Be More Like the Super Bowl
American politics work best when they accommodate more casual fans. Don’t mistake this for mushy middle indifference. American politics should be a place for citizens who care, show up, argue passionately about policy, but then keep on living life. Today, that approach is being crowded out by the perpetually enraged. There’s painfully little room left for those who believe that political life matters, but know that it isn’t the center of the universe.
…
America works only if we remember that government is the source neither of our rights nor the meaning in our lives. Our neighborhoods matters more than Washington. Our neighbors matter more than strangers on social media. Churches, workplaces and, yes, Super Bowl parties are where purpose and community are found. Distant politics can’t replace these thicker, more flesh-and-blood institutions.
America would be a healthier place if we treated civics more like a Super Bowl party. Make it general admission. Open up more space for people who care but aren’t obsessed. Pick sides. Argue calls. Talk a little trash. Some diehards will show up with face paint, but they’ll always be a minority.
Annoyance is the price we pay for community.
Kristin Bell in this excerpted short from a chat with Builders Movement:
Our mission is to overcome “us vs. them” thinking and solve problems together. We equip people to uncover hidden common ground and build on it - with lasting solutions that reflect the will of the people.
During his time on the Supreme Court, Breyer said that there was an unwritten rule that was critical to helping justices make progress while deliberating difficult and complex matters of law.
“Nobody speaks twice until everybody has spoken once,” Breyer said. “It’s a very good rule for any small group. You have to listen to what other people are saying and see if you can work with that.”
That rule, he said, helped the justices to stay civil even in the face of sometimes fierce differences of opinion. Breyer, for example, remained good friends with fellow justice Antonin Scalia, even though the two had fundamentally different approaches to the law, he said.
-from an interview with retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer last year at Brown
Examining that puzzle reveals that the real subject of debate isn’t AI but anthropology. Every technological system presupposes some notion of what human beings are. If we are merely biological machines—producers, consumers or data points—then superior computational systems threaten to eclipse humanity. But if we possess an intrinsic dignity that transcends utility, efficiency and economic value, if we are distinct from machines, then technology can remain servant rather than master.
From Robert Sirico’s commentary in the WSJ on Pope Leo IV’s first encyclical letter “Magnifica Humanitas”
Eric Church’s UNC Commencement Address — Masterfully done with life lessons for both new graduates and students of life.
Tune and re-tune the six strings of your life:
All writing is re-writing.
I heard this quoted a couple months back, and it keeps bubbling back up in my memory – Provides some solace as I find my first draft of anything so lacking. :)
Steps for getting summary from YouTube video meeting
- Identify YouTube video
- Install yt-dlp
- Install dependencies such as scoop package installer; ejs challenge solver (via added extension in command; ffmpeg (via scoop install method)
- Run script from PowerShell
Also quick alternative comparison from vendor.
Awkward technology moment: It’s getting more frustrating to use my iPad relative to my Microsoft Surface for general tasks and I’m contemplating letting the iPad fade away.
Speaking as someone who’s used the iPad since its release and upgraded numerous times over the years (and enthusiastically so), feels odd to be finding it more and more unhelpful.
Still can’t be beat for touch interface, creativity, and media consumption – But a lot of everyday tasks don’t seem to go smoothly. :/