Returning to Twitter hasn't cracked up to what I thought it would be like. Good to see instead that people are entertaining the idea of microblogging from their own sites. I recently started following Jason Rehmus and I'm on the look out for more people who are returning to microblogging. I might even try it myself.

All the essentials and nothing more.

I had big plans for this week, but it was effectively written off as our youngest son was ill all week.

The great thing about my work being flexible is that I can schedule work around times like this. Yes, this week was a bust, but there's always next week or the week after.

Some people might view it as a week lost, but I see it as something that needed to be done.

Our youngest is finally on the mend and laughing and smiling. Seeing that happen is definitely more important than any work I could have been doing.

Just added Moleskine's new calendar app, Timepage, to my iPhone. I'll be road testing this for a couple of months as a replacement for Fantastical 2.

via FGGT

A nice idea, but I would rather go for a proper bike ride up the hills and make my own burgers when I get home. Healthier and better tasting.

Another classic NB list for on the wall above your desk.

1. The brand evolved organically from outstanding customer responsiveness rather than stilted by-lines and 're-fresh' logos.

— Inside-Out Seven by Nicholas Bate

Read on for the full list.

I think a trip to the highlands needs to planned for this autumn. Best of all, it's just a short drive away.

Go, and Be from Josh Brine on Vimeo.

via SwissMiss

The Simple Dollar cover everything you need to know about using a pocket notebook.

It’s really hard to believe, but I have to say that one of the most – and possibly the most – profound changes I’ve made in my life over the last several years was the simple decision to start carrying a pocket notebook and a pen with me wherever I go. Unless I’ve made a mental miscue when swapping out a finished notebook or something, I do not leave the house without my pocket notebook resting in my hip pocket or my shirt pocket, with a trusty pen right there beside it for jotting notes.

— How to Use a Simple Pocket Notebook to Change Your Life by The Simple Dollar

If you don't have one, get one. Keep it on you at all times. It's more of an asset than you think.

It's early days but I'm starting a new blog with a focus on web development. DigitalBothy will be the home for all the technical stuff that I don't want to post here. Great to have an outlet for this. I'll be writing there on a weekly basis.

via Pedal Consumption

Adults will have their own variations on this ranked list of Pixar's movies, but has anyone asked the kids to order these films? Chances are the kids probably couldn't seperate any of them.

via Kottke.org

Nice trick.

via FGGT

Great to see the US government using leading engineers from Silicon Valley to work on their digital infrastructure.

Lisa had just spent time on the upper management teams at Hulu and BET. She decides, reluctantly, that she’ll go take the meeting, which includes this guy named Mikey as well as this other guy named Todd, and turns out to be in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing. Then President Obama opens the door and surprises everyone, and over the course of 45 minutes gives the sales pitch to beat all sales pitches. They need to come work for him. They will need to take a pay cut, the president announces. But he doesn’t care what it takes—he will personally call their bosses, their spouses, their kids to convince them. The crowd laughs. But he gravely responds: I am completely serious. He needs them to overhaul the government’s digital infrastructure now.

— Inside Obama's Stealth Startup by Fast Company

I've never seen pictures of the bridge while it was being built. Quite amazing.

via Eclecticity Light

Serious ambitions need a serious checklist.

Thanks NB!

via FGGT

Dog-walking, Shakespeare, baseball, Beethoven and hot dogs.

All available at Cultural Offering.