Active Recall!

Podcasts, videos, and iPad art

Workout Log (04/15/2020) — Molting

Writing this after working out. Did Simple & Sinister (20kg two-handed swings, 16kg get-ups).

There’s a scene in this episode of Cobra Kai (s01e07 “Molting”) where Johnny Lawrence talks about some things that happened in Karate Kid. They cut between him talking about what happened and then scenes from Karate Kid showing what actually happened.

Let’s say some of the retold story doesn’t match up 100%.

Everyone does it.

I just finished reading That Will Never Work and the author talks about how the neat origin story (got tired of paying late fees one day) they told the media was a very cleaned up version of the messy reality. It’s always something to keep in mind when reading memoirs and biographies.

All stories are edited in some way. Intentionally (to compress timelines) or unintentionally (faulty memory).

Which reminds me, I need to finish reading Rebel Without a Crew. It’s Robert Rodriguez’s memoir and it’s a collection of journal entries. While it’s curated and edited it’s likely much closer to the reality of the time than a biography written 15 years after events happened or Johnny Lawrence talking about events 35 years later.

Rodriguez captures a lot of the mundane, tedious work that goes into making an independent film. Especially before digital tools were available to everyone.

Which makes me think of Chuck Klosterman writing about high school:

Whenever I try to remember friends from high school, friends from college, or even just friends from five years ago, my memory always creates the illusion that we were together constantly, just like those kids on Saved by the Bell. However, this was almost never the case. Whenever I seriously piece together my past, I inevitably uncover long stretches where somebody who (retrospectively) seemed among my closest companions simply wasn’t around.

I’ve been trying to write a little bit every day about how the day has gone during quarantine. Every day is so similar that the days will blend together looking back.

A lot of people are recording video and making things and sharing them while at home. A lot more than would probably journal if this happened 20 years ago. The curation for sharing things publicly is happening in real time. If we look back on this in 35 years it might look like all we did was play games and talk to each other with while switching to wackier and wackier webcam backgrounds.

One issue with writing right in the editor

I’ve mentioned the idea of writing in the editor more than a few times. Through all the inconsistency of writing posts for this blog and in making content on other platforms, three things really get me to finish publishing things:

  • Writing in the editor
  • Writing with a timer
  • Writing with distractions blocked

I’m just going to brainstorm some issues with each individually. (In an effort to think through how to combine them to become really effective at writing and finishing things.)

If I write in the editor, it’s harder to block things, because I need to block all other websites while writing in the WordPress editor. And I can use a physical timer, which does work pretty well. Nothing’s as good as having the timer right where I’m writing, which is to say that I can always get writing done when I’m using Cold Turkey Writer. And finishing posts often means that I need to add links to things. I can probably do things like throw some TODOs/TKs in there and then add the links later in a separate phase. I think this is something to practice in isolation and get good at separating these things. I’ll add it to the list of experiments to try below.

If I write with a timer, I usually get a draft done but then I don’t really give myself time for fixing up links and revising things and often am just in the middle of a thought. I can’t just hit “Publish” right then and there. I need to break the times up into stages and actually respect those stages and build up the discipline (through practice) to stick to the outline.

If I’m writing with distractions blocked, using something like Cold Turkey Writer, I’ll often end up with a bunch of writing and then I need to take the steps to move it to the editor. The best thing might be to use something like Cold Turkey Micromanager with a different editor. Cold Turkey Micromanager + MarsEdit + Figma might do the trick to really finish a post every day.

Experiments to try

  • Really practice writing in separate phases: offline writing with TODOs and TKs (20 minutes), add links (5 minutes), revise and schedule on some other day.
  • Try the Cold Turkey Micromanager + MarsEdit + Figma combination for writing the initial posts. I’ll need to add links later but that can be done with that second session and maybe it’s just a browser that’s allowed at that point so that I can add links in.

iPad Journal (March/April 2020)

Transcript

I just got a new iPad Pro 12.9-inch. These are some first impressions. Some thoughts on the hardware: there’s a new microphone, the same one that’s supposed to be, or similar to what’s in the MacBook Pro 16-inch. Then there is the wide-angle camera and LIDAR, and now there’s mouse support, but that’s more OS-specific.

As far as the hardware goes, I probably don’t need the latest version for the things that I do with the iPad. Speed-wise, it’s supposed to be slightly faster, but I rarely do things like video editing on it. The microphone will probably be nice to have. I have done some recording with the MacBook Pro’s microphone. If it’s as good as that, then I’ll be pretty happy with that.So that’s that for the hardware. The biggest change for me is going back to a 12.9 inch. I had previously the 11-inch.

The very first one I had was a 12.9. This was the original one. I switch every generation, so I went back to the 10.5. Then once the newer ones came out, the 2018, the big change as far as like form factor, switched to a 12.9 and again traded that with my brother back to an 11. That was earlier this year.

And now I’m back to a 12.9. I do kind of miss the size. There’s trade offs. I think that’s a separate topic, though, as far as switching sizes and figuring out what size is best. But right now in isolation, not traveling much, not taking anything out to a coffee shop or anything like that, happy to have the extra drawing space while I’m at home.

So that’s it for the hardware thoughts.

As far as changes that aren’t specific to the new models. That first one was switching to a bigger size. I do have a 16-inch MacBook pro. I just can’t imagine bringing both this iPad Pro and the MacBook Pro around. I have been thinking—now I’m getting tempted by that 13-inch MacBook Air but we’ll figure that out later.

I definitely don’t need it. I don’t need this new iPad either. It’s more about the size change. Another change is that the… this is not even with the latest OS… I think it was the previous major update where desktop web browsing was introduced. That’s been a big improvement compared to the years before that using the iPad.

Then, of course, the latest iOS update brings mouse support and pulls it out of the accessibility options. It’s been very cool so far and I’m very excited to see where things go with that. What I’ve done with those last two things combined with desktop web browsing and the mouse support… I’ve tried Figma. I tried making a template for GoodNotes with it, and it pretty much works for that.

That’s been pretty exciting to see. This kind of experience is only going to get better as both sides of that… I’m sure Figman will continue to improve that experience and also mouse support will only improve on the iPad. Then of course, any other web app is improved by this combination.

I’ve been trying to adjust where there are still some things that I’m getting used to and trying to understand as far as when I need to have accessibility options on or off. I think it also depends on how an app is put together. I noticed… in Figma. if I have accessibility options on, then it does the weird thing where if I try to move with the mouse, it tries to scroll the screen at the same time, but with it off and just using the normal mouse support, it works really great.

But then I tried it in MindNode and noticed that if I don’t have accessibility options on, then I can’t do any like panning or anything like that within MindNode. But when I turn it on… I think it is just how it’s treating the cursor. I’m guessing different apps will be updated to have full mouse support.

Or I don’t know what I’m doing is also a definite possibility.

Maybe I just am not doing it right in these different apps. But again, excited to see the mouse support.

Last section: What I’ve been using my iPad for lately.

So just continuing to draw with it. I’ve been drawing these note cards for blog posts that I write and have been writing more on that so check that out.

The other thing I’ve been using my iPad for… I’m trying recording audio in it.

What I have set up: side by side, I have Just Press Record on the right side. That’s my favorite voice recording app. I’m not using the microphone in the iPad. I have it hooked up to a Zoom H1 microphone that’s hooked up through USB.

On the left side, I just have this set of notes. Another thing that I’ve been using it for is writing.

That’s probably my favorite thing to do with the iPad, just because… Again, I’ve talked about this in other videos: just the focus that I can get with iOS is something that I don’t have with MacOS and my MacBook.

On my Mac, I always have some other window open from something I was trying to do earlier.

No matter what.

I have a shortcut that I could use to quit everything, but then what that does is it pops up all these “Save as” windows, and then I’m reminded of all my unfinished work, and all my failings from the last time that I opened up my Mac. That’s why I like my iPad: for hiding from that failure to finish things.

I can write in it and that’s what I’ve done with some shortcuts that I’ve set up. I really do need to make this video about the different shortcuts I use for writing. One of them that I used—in particular for the outline for this video—is a 10 minute shortcut.

What it does is it turns on Dark Noise—highly recommend that app for white noise— then it starts a 10-minute timer, plays a song, or I think it opens a song in Spotify, but it won’t actually play it. And then I hit play, then return back and it opens up Ulysses and I can start writing there.

What I did this time is I opened up a different shortcut that gives me a quick outline as long as… It just runs me through the prompts so that it can come up with three topics and then that takes about a minute and I fill that with some sub-topics to talk about. It gives me an outline to talk through.

Then the last thing that I’ve been using it for is just browsing the internet and reading around the apartment,while I am in isolation. That’s what’s happening right now.

We did buy a treadmill. This was an emergency purchase for quarantine to keep the movement going. I do have some kettlebells that I haven’t been using as much as I want.

[There seems to be a kettlebell shortage. Just just a note. Something I noticed trying to order a new one.]

The treadmill came, have it set up, so that’s something that I’ve done with the iPad. I will put something on there to read or watch. I also have my phone.

What it doesn’t work that well for—and this has more to do with the treadmill not having a flat surface to put the iPad on—so it’s not like a working treadmill or a desk treadmill or anything like that.

I did try to use like the Apple Pencil while walking. It didn’t work that well. The angle of the treadmill wasn’t suitable.

So what I do is I’ll have the iPad and then have my phone as kind of this input device so that I can continue to write on my phone and take notes on my phone while I walk.

It’s fine.

I’ve actually done quite a bit of writing in that way. So that’s a nice setup. If you have your phone and an iPad, great combo.

I’ll stop right there. Thanks for checking this out.

Next video will be that Shortcuts video.

Shortcuts for writers or something like that.

Thanks a lot.

Workout Log (04/09/2020) — Warzone

Alright I’m writing this on my iPad Pro after searching through the apartment looking for an extra HDMI cable. One thing I like already is that I can just plug the thing in with the lid closed and everything and it doesn’t need to think and whatever else my MacBook Pro does before it starts in clamshell mode. That probably has to do with my monitor setup going through a USB-C hub and all that. Anyway. It was inspired by this Modular Computer article by Federico Viticci. 

Okay so today’s workout was the same as yesterday’s workout. Started a little late so I’m going to skip the writing practice for today. But wanted to make sure to post the workout card here. Keep the streak alive and all that.

Oh yeah I’ll add this image also just to tease a future podcast/video/post. “Tease” meaning I likely won’t ever make it so better to share this in rough form now than to never share it at all.

10 lessons from Call of Duty: Warzone

I started playing Warzone and was playing last night with Wally (co-host of the Active Recall podcast) instead of recording a new episode. But there’s a good amount of idle time during battle royal games so I thought it’d be good to ruin the fun of the game and try to make CONTENT while playing. We talked through some life lessons

Workout Log (4/8/2020) — Black belts for presenters, selling Cobra Kai at a basketball court, and mac ad slots in high school

Eventually I want these workout posts to look different from the other posts. But I can already feel the temptation to spend time creating a custom layout and all that and then end up never using it. Instead, I just made this black notecard in Figma.

In any case. Some quick notes from each of the things. One goal I’d like to aim for is to make some connection between the things that I read, watch, and listen to in the morning.

Yes, it’s going to be a stretch sometimes. Or maybe more often than not. But it’ll be practice.

In this case it’s not too much of a stretch.

I guess the theme here would be TIMING.

  • In the portion of Black Belt Presentations that I read this morning, there’s a mention of running a live event and getting experience asking for contact information. The presentation sets it up and you should ask when people are starting to relax and exhale knowing there’s no new information that they need to be paying close attention to.  But it should be before the very end because they’ll just be antsy to leave.
  • In Cobra Kai, Johnny goes to a basketball court and tells the guys there (“BROHAM!”) about the karate studio he’s running and that they should check it out. Great example of wrong place, wrong time, wrong everything to try to sell something to people. (Who likely wouldn’t be interested even if he wasn’t so bad at talking to people.)
  • In that episode of Venture Stories, Andrew Wilkinson talks about how he got started in business in high school without really thinking about it being business. He ran a successful site (MacTeens) as a teenager that eventually got big enough that he was managing other teenagers writing articles for it. He’d sell ad slots and negotiate with businesses while still in high school. But he thought of it more like he was the lead editor of a team of writers, not someone running a business.

That reminds me of a comment I saw on a mixtape of KG in high school. (Can’t remember the exact video but something similar.) The comment was along the lines of, “Imagine finishing up AP chem and then having to guard Kevin Garnett a few hours later.”

(I don’t have a varsity basketball game to get to but I do gotta run. Catch you tomorrow!)

Workout Log (4/7/2020) — Tiny Habits and Cobra Kai

Walked 60 mins

Simple and Sinister
– 10×10 20kg two-handed swings
– 10×1 20kg get-ups

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Read: Tiny Habits (mostly, but also opened Atomic Habits and some random ebooks)
Watched: Cobra Kai (episode 2)
Listened: Didn’t listen to anything this morning

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Okay so this past weekend we played Codenames. We’re not good at it so it was ambitious to try to get 2 or 3 words to connect. Definite stretches. Which is what I’m going to do now trying to connect what I read with what I watched.

A little bit of morning writing practice…

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Cobra Kai has Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso as adults. Summary: both of them live in the past and are tied to their high school identities. Because it’s a show, the characters are going to evolve episode by episode. Not in a single moment.

What identities are YOU stuck to??? Are there any you want to change???

You don’t change it in a single moment. You might watch a Jocko motivational video, get to bed early, set the alarm on your T66801, and finally get up early for your workout. But that doesn’t make you a morning person.

Yet.

If you do it the 2nd day, 7th day, and 50th day, then you’ve changed your identity. But it’s slow and over time.

If you want to be a better writer, or anything, remember that you become the noun by doing the verb.

If you want to be a faster writer, you’ll want to practice by writing fast every day.

Having a sensei can help. Even if your sensei is a free PDF.

So download WRITE FIRST WRITE FAST NO MERCY

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(Was on wax off until tomorrow!!!)