Matthew Lang

Oh yeah, it's going to be good.

It's happening again. I'm falling out of favour with Twitter. Last night I thumbed through about six or seven promoted tweets in my timeline and I hadn't even reached back an hour in my timeline. I don't mind Twitter injecting a couple of promoted tweets in my timeline but six is a bit much.

It's taken me a while to realise it but Twitter is killing itself. We haven't had a great feature added to Twitter in a long time. Instead we get constant fiddling with the timeline and more promoted tweets. I was all ready to defend Twitter a couple of months ago but that defence has been worn down. The timeline is less fun to read these days with the interruptions of promoted tweets and other content such as recommend people and apps.

The worse part though is that it doesn't have the banter from years ago. Very few people I follow are what I would call active users. Back in the day there were plenty of active users in my time. Maybe everyone else is busy or like me they're put off by Twitter.

It will never die. I write now more than I ever did. The growing collection of notebooks and pens on my desk is proof of that.

Despite those who say it’s dying. That it’s obsolete. That, more and more, machines will take over the tasks we use handwriting for. That schools will teach it less and less. Despite all of the obstacles and the naysayers, writing by hand will live on long after you and I are gone.

How do I know?

Our children. Mine and yours. All of us who write by hand and advocate its importance and advantages. We who have children will write by hand in front of those children. Through such actions they will learn from us that writing by hand is something one does. We will teach them to do the same.

— Handwriting will not die... by Patrick Rhone at The Cramped

via AllFixedGear

A bike bell that doesn't look like a bike bell.

How is it that it's taken this long for someone to come up with a design like this?

I am tempted.

Yes, you heard me right. Nicholas Bate has added a number of digital books to his growing list of freely available books.

Enjoy.

Apple received a boost in its fight against the FBI after a judge ruled in Apple's favour.

Judge Orenstein applied previous legal decisions interpreting the AWA and concluded that the law does not “justif[y] imposing on Apple the obligation to assist the government’s investigation against its will.” In a formulation extremely favorable to Apple, the judge wrote that the key question raised by the government’s request is whether the AWA allows a court “to compel Apple — a private party with no alleged involvement in Feng’s criminal activity — to perform work for the government against its will.”

— Apple Wins Major Court Victory Against FBI in a Case Similar to San Bernardino by The Intercept

While I do think it's important for technology companies to help government agencies, especially in the case of providing evidence, there has to be a line drawn in the level of powers that an agency can invoke.

Last week my wife Jennifer was looking for something to read during her lunch break. She stumbled across this piece on reasons why we appear to be so alone in the universe. Read at your peril. The numbers are mind boggling.

As many stars as there are in our galaxy (100 – 400 billion), there are roughly an equal number of galaxies in the observable universe—so for every star in the colossal Milky Way, there’s a whole galaxy out there. All together, that comes out to the typically quoted range of between 1022 and 1024 total stars, which means that for every grain of sand on every beach on Earth, there are 10,000 stars out there.

— The Fermi Paradox by Wait But Why

is often the most valued step.

Thanks Michael!

While reading On Writing Well last night, I was glad to have found the section on technical writing.

Describing how a process works is valuable for two reasons. It forces you to make sure you know how it works. Then it forces you to take the reader through the same sequence of ideas and deductions that made the process clear to you.

— On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Chrome galore!

via saadl

The morning routine is going well since officially embarking on it around November of last year. Here's what happens.

• 5 mins - Review the day ahead and ensuring that I don't have any conflicting work. Use Todoist and Timepage to do this.
• 10 mins - Scan through my Feedbin subscriptions and then read a couple of articles on Instapaper.
• 15 mins - Write in my notebook. When I say writing I mean with pen and paper. None of that digital nonsense. I'm on my third notebook and plan to keep it going for as long as I can. I use the time to write drafts of blog posts, private pieces or every now and then try out writing some fiction.

I do this all at the dining room table. Just me, my phone, a pen and a notebook. And maybe a coffee if I'm feeling adventurous.

I have to say, it's working well for me.

Patrick Rhone's book Enough.

Buy it, read it love it and then read it again. I'll still be reading this book for many years to come. That's how great it is.

A schedule, just like a financial budget, is there for the purpose of serving my goals. A schedule makes sure the minutes don’t get away from me. It helps me keep from squandering my time.

— Benjamin Franklin's Daily Schedule by Shawn Blanc

Since I started structuring my day, I've noticed a gradual improvement.

No, not me. It's an idea proposed by Kurt Harden. And I have to say, it sounds like a great idea.

We ought to sign off on each day. We should take an account of what has been accomplished - cleaned car, solved these four problems, made these contacts, closed this deal, cooked a good meal, read these items - and then sign off.

— Signing off on the day by Kurt Harden

I’m a user and fan of the private social networking app Path. I love the constraints on their product. You can’t post from the web, just your phone.

It’s also private for you and your family and friends. I like that. We don’t always need to tell the world everything. I’m as guilty of anyone as this. I share links, photos and videos on Twitter like everyone else, but I do question the real value that comes from just throwing out content for the world to see, whether it takes the form of a link, an image or even a tweet.

I would love to see another service like Twitter, but one that focuses on privacy and constraints. Private timelines that are accessible only by the people involved in that timeline, Enough space in each post for a couple of hundred words. And maybe even limiting the posting frequency to a couple of posts a day, maybe even one. Sounds like a blog, sounds like a private RSS feed, it even sounds like an email newsletter subscription. Sounds like a lot of things.

One thing it isn’t is public. The other is that it isn't adding to the noise levels. Maybe we need something like that.

A couple of years ago I took the decision to limit my home screen to eight apps. The goal was to limit my the apps I use on a daily basis to just the essential ones.

With eight apps on my home screen I wouldn't be spending time looking for those apps I rarely use or being distracted by other apps. I would unlock my phone, do what I need to do and then put it down.

It started well but over time, the number of apps on the home screen gradually grew and grew until I had two screens filled with apps.

Since the start of the year I've been trying to get the number of apps on my home screen back down to just eight apps. Last weekend I finally got down to my target number. Here's the list of apps I have now on my home screen:

1. Timepage
2. Todoist
3. Path
4. Overcast
5. Day One
6. Twitter
7. Instapaper
8. Instagram

I stick to Apple's own offerings for communication using Messages, Phone, Mail and Safari. I've tried different apps to do each of these, but Apple's own apps are proven apps that meet all my needs. These sit on the menu bar at the bottom of the screen.

Technology is great, but it can start becoming a hindrance if it isn't kept under control. For me, eight apps is enough.

Jeb Bush has ended his 2016 presidential campaign.

Bush, the son and brother of US presidents, made the announcement in a somber speech before supporters in Columbia after earning just 8.3% of the vote with 67% reporting in the third primary contest of 2016.

— Jeb Bush ends presidential bid after Donald Trump wins in South Carolina The Guardian

What I find strange about US presidential campaigns is the amount of money that that candidates use in their campaigns despite being rank outsiders. Jeb Bush is reported to have accumulated $100m for his campaign. A vast amount of money but I have to wonder who even thought Jeb Bush would succeed in being a successful candidate for the Republican party?

Sounds like a gamble to me.

via Primicicli

... for the career you love.

Thanks NB!