Latest Blog Posts
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My first exposure to computers and technology came at a very early age. My mum was convinced that I needed a computer to do my school work, and for reasons only known to her, bought me a ‘486’. I would later learn that this was a description of the processor in the machine, but all I could take in at the time was how massive it was and that I had to type everything to get it going. I wouldn’t begin to use anything resembling a modern computer until much later with Windows 3.1.
Even then, technology wasn’t really in my life. It was just a tool to use when needed, and that wasn’t very often. You would have to fast forward more than a decade until I became remotely interested in what these things could do for me, and this all happened by complete accident. With an iPhone that I purchased simply because I had an iPod. I’d had computers to do my college and school work, bought phones to text my friends, but this gadget entered my life and put just the right amount of restrictions in the way that I wanted to get around them.
I discovered that I could enable my primitive iPhone 3G to do more than Apple allowed. With a few lines of code, I could enable copy and paste, and MMS - as shocking as it seems now that an iPhone didn’t have these things. I installed beta software downloaded over peer-to-peer networks and network unlocked them for friends. This interesting world filled a hole in me that had been empty since my dreams of professional football were taken away from me in my late teens. The excitement, skills to learn, and ever-changing landscape was addictive and I can pretty much plot a course from iPhone purchase day to my working life now.
This course went through years of hacking Palm tablets, working with custom ROMs on Android, and writing for technology websites about anything and everything I could. Learning HTML and CSS to build my own blog and gaining the skills to go along with producing content for the web. Because of my love of technology, the people I met, and the skills I picked up along the way, I am where I am today. I am pretty confident to say that had I not bought that iPhone, my life would be a very different place.
Which brings me to today. My world is not as exciting as it once was. The technology that I love is now in a very different spot. It no longer sits idle until called upon like any other tool, it muscles its way into every corner of our lives. There is a lot to be excited about, but also a lot to be wary of. Modern life is a hard place to navigate, and if you’ve had to have this conversation with your children, you will appreciate that it seems to be getting worse. In many ways, we are the tools that technology companies use. To make more and more money while improving less and less about the world.
I cannot get excited about new iPads, task list apps, and camera specs as I used to, but I think that is because I am too jaded by the past. There are others out there that are as excited as past me was about OS updates and new phones, but for AI advancements and wearable technology. I didn’t worry about what these new smartphones would do to the world, and neither will they about LLM’s and image generators.
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Reysu in the video How to absorb books like a sponge and read 2x faster:
One of the most valuable things you can do with your free time is reading books. They not only contain a huge depth of information, but just a single idea in a book has the possibility of changing your life entirely.
I recently found Reysu on YouTube and have enjoyed a lot of the videos on their channel. It is a good mix of technology topics and various bits of life advice—particularly the ones on Notebooks, but that’s for another day. I hate the title of this one and wrote about why reading doesn’t need to be hacked, but this statement in the first part of the video stood out to me.
Reading is one of my favorite things to do. I don’t know why, I have a million other things to entertain me, but reading takes me to a different place that nothing else can. There’s fiction to distract me but not leave me hollow like passive media does. There’s non-fiction for me to learn new ideas and improve my life. Whatever it is that I am reading, it contains loads of little bits that all leave their mark and improve me as a person.
Also a special shout out to this genius thumbnail that first got me to watch Reysu’s videos.
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After loosing my Kindle Paperwhite in London a couple of weeks ago I have been a bit lost. I did order another one, but when posts started popping up about a colour Kobo Libra I decided to return it and try something new. Granted I have only had it since Friday, but I am already in love with it.
I will no doubt write a longer post about it later, but there are not many downsides to this new device. It has a nice screen with colour, has a separately available stylus for note taking and highlighting which I love. However reporting those highlights is not a simple as with Kindle, but I found some ways to make use of them. The below works with the Kobo Libra Colour, Kobo Libra 2 and Kobo Clara Colour - so I don’t see any reason it shouldn’t work with others.
In A Text File
- Connect kobo to your device
- Open a file browser and mount the device once connected
- Allow your file browser to see hidden files ( CMD + Shift + . On Mac)
- Go to the hidden folder
.kobo/Kobo - In a text editor open
eReader.conf - In the text file find (or if not present add
[FeatureSettings] - Add a new line
ExportHighlights=true - Save the file and unmount your device from the computer
To export the notes from a book, long press on the book and tap
Export Annotations.When you reconnect your Kobo there will be a new file called Exported Annotations with text files for the exported books. Bear in mind this does not update with new ones, so consider doing this only when they need to be exported.
There are some reports of truncated highlights where not all the content is exported in the text file. This has not happened to me, but please take this into consideration.
Using A Calibre Plugin
When it comes to self management and conversion of e-books, Calibre is king. I have been using it for a while to (cough) manage (cough) my Kindle e-books but it is even more invaluable when using a Kobo device. There is a wide range of plugins available and for this method we will add a new one - namely Annotations by David Forrester.
Head to the preferences panel and click Plugins.
Click Get new plugins and search for
Annotations.
This will give you a couple of popups, one is a warning that plugins can contain malware - they are programmes after all. And once installed you will need to restart Calibre.
Once restarted, customise the plugin by clicking the big yellow highlighter in the top bar, and select Customise plugin.
In the next window click the wand icon next to the Comments dropdown and add in the Annotations option. Once done click ok.
Now connect your Kobo device, and once Calibre recognises it, click the highlighter again and select Fetch annotations from connected device. The popup window will allow you to select which books have them available.
These will show in the book details window for ease of viewing, or you can copy and paste them for use elsewhere.
Use Readwise
If you use Readwise, or want a seamless way to sync your highlights, these can be directly added using the standard options. They will sync to the Readwise service and also be accessible from any of your set up export options such as Notion or Obsidian.
However, this will only work for highlights made to Kobo purchased books. This will not work for manually added ePub books or PDFs. There is a solution for this pointed out by Readwise themselves, called October, that grabs these from a connected device - however I have not tested this out myself so cant speak for its usage.
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There’s a fascinating Arab proverb, “Trust in Allah, but tie your camel,” which serves as a powerful metaphor for the balance between faith and practicality. This adage has lingered in my mind, prompting reflections on how it applies not only to religious faith but to everyday life decisions as well.
In essence, the proverb teaches us that while it’s crucial to have trust—whether in a higher power, the universe, or the intrinsic goodness of life—it’s equally important to not neglect our responsibilities and duties. It suggests a harmonious approach to life, where faith and action go hand in hand. You trust in the larger forces at play, but you also take necessary precautions and actions to safeguard your immediate world.
Consider the scenario of preparing for an important exam. One might pray or hope for success, which is an act of faith. However, this doesn’t replace the need for thorough preparation and study, which represents the act of tying your camel. It’s about not leaving things to chance when you have the capacity to influence the outcome through your actions. We trust lots of things such as individuals to act accordingly to reliance on whole markets to correct themselves, when perhaps we can take action instead.
This proverb also taps into the theme of accountability. It reminds us that while we might put our faith in bigger concepts or future promises, we are still agents in our own lives. We have the power, and thus the responsibility, to take actions that align with our hopes and prayers. Whether it’s as mundane as locking your car or as significant as planning your career path, the message is clear: be proactive.
This proverb offers a grounding thought. It teaches resilience and preparedness, urging us to handle what is within our control diligently, while remaining optimistic about what we can’t control.These words are not just advice for the religious or the spiritual. It’s a universal call to blend optimism with pragmatism, hope with effort, and faith with action. This balanced approach can help us remain both hopeful and effective. It’s a reminder that in the interplay of trust and responsibility, we find the wisdom to manage life’s uncertainties with confidence and grace.
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One of my most re-read books is Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. I tend to pick it up often and read through some of the passages and often they can tell me something about what is currently happening in my life. A few days ago I happened upon a passage from Book 6.20, where he uses a gymnasium metaphor to deliver a profound insight on handling interpersonal conflicts. It’s fascinating how he draws lessons from the physical to the philosophical.
In the gymnastic exercises suppose that a man has torn thee with his nails, and by dashing against thy head has inflicted a wound. Well, we neither show any signs of vexation, nor are we offended, nor do we suspect him afterwards as a treacherous fellow; and yet we are on our guard against him, not however as an enemy, nor yet with suspicion, but we quietly get out of his way. Something like this let thy behaviour be in all the other parts of life: let us overlook many things in those who are like antagonists in the gymnasium. For it is in our power, as I said, to get out of the way, and to have no suspicion nor hatred.
Imagine being in a gym where accidents happen—maybe a stray elbow here, a bump there. Aurelius notes that in these moments, we don’t hold grudges; we simply acknowledge the mishap as part of the process and remain vigilant without bearing ill will. He suggests taking this approach into our everyday lives, dealing with emotional and social bumps with the same nonchalance. This got me thinking about how often we misinterpret others' intentions. In the close quarters of life, just like in a gym, people might ‘collide’ with us unintentionally. According to Aurelius, we should view these incidents as neutral events, not personal attacks.
He pushes for a stance of strategic engagement rather than avoidance. It’s about recognising potential conflicts and navigating them without emotional disturbance. This stoic advice isn’t about withdrawal but about maintaining inner peace by choosing how we react. By doing so, we avoid the negativity that can cloud our judgment and disturb our tranquility.
Marcus Aurelius teaches us to face life’s inevitable scuffles with resilience and forbearance, just as we would in a gym—no fuss, just moving forward with awareness and preparedness. It’s a lesson in understanding the nature of conflicts and the power of our responses.