Weeknotes 2025W04

First order of business this week was getting my headlights fixed. I replaced the bulbs last week but noticed that some wires got chewed threw. I took out the wheel well liner so that I could get my wire strippers in there to splice in new wire. All it took was cutting out the faulty bits, stripping each end, and splicing in a few inches of new wire with butt connectors and heat shrink. Everything works great now!

In media, I finished reading The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin. Really great book that is set in the same world as A Wizard of Earthsea but explores the northern Kargish lands and people. It’s a story about a young woman trapped in a role and identity that she doesn’t want or fully believe in. She discovers truth for herself (with some help from a familiar wizard) and begins to create a new identity.

AM and I had lunch at Real Taste of India in Bend. Highly recommend if you are in the area. It’s a fantastic little Indian buffet in the lobby of a hotel.

Some friends came over to play Settlers of Catan. It’s one of my favorite board games and I haven’t played in years. We had a tough map and a lot of players that added a nice challenge.

For work, I got a gig making a website for a friend of a friend. I jumped on a call with them and talked about what they were looking for. It’s a pretty tight deadline but I’m looking forward to creating something that isn’t just a personal project.

  • TikTok Shutdown — Why Building on Proprietary Platforms is a Risky Game by Ilias.

    Building anything of value around a proprietary platform is very risky. Whether it’s a software application, a brand, or anything that you can categorize as a major revenue source, should be owned and hosted by yourself. Platforms that you have no control over can disappear overnight, or change in ways that would make it impossible to continue using them in ways you’ve anticipated.

  • Dark Patterns Detective by Rohan Dehal. Great little game that shows you common dark patterns. It’s good for both consumers and designers to be aware of these things that are commonplace techniques on today’s internet.
  • TabBoo by Brian Moore and Justin. A browser extension that gives you random jumpscares on sites that you choose to prevent endless scrolling. Fantastic idea!
  • The Three Types of Writing by Lawrence Yeo at More To That. The three kinds of writing live on a spectrum between introspection and expression. Writing to release is introspective (e.g. journaling, morning pages). Writing to present is expressive and used to share your ideas with others (e.g. stories, blog posts, videos). Writing to think is right in the middle. It forces you to organize your thoughts while still being experimental.
  • You should have a website by Nora Reed. Own your digital life with resiliency by having your own website that isn’t at the whim of who is in office or big tech companies.
  • Hacking Subaru: Tracking and Controlling Cars via the STARLINK Admin Panel by Sam Curry. A vulnerability in Subaru’s admin network allowed people to track any Subaru. This made me really value my old 2002 Forester that isn’t connected to the internet.

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