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Proton Mail, what a bust
Trying out Proton Mail only to find out they don’t support separate inboxes for different emails. Absolute deal breaker. Poor research on my end, but that’s about the only thing I took for granted.
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Design choices
Contemplating a small design change. I’m currently wrapping short form content (notes and links) inside a container, e.g:
Whereas posts are displayed directly on the page background, like so:
I originally did this as a visual cue to indicate a distinction between short and long form content. But I’m starting to think it makes more sense to use “the box” as a visual distinction between main content and additionals.
Like if I’m adding related posts, subscribe links or even comments to the content pages.
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Algorithms and over-eager parents
I was reading Phil’s week notes, and had to do a double take when I read this paragraph:
Its algorithm is like an over-eager parent, keen to make the most of any slight interest their offspring shows in anything. “She enjoyed reading that comic! So I’ve bought her a dozen classic graphic novels, Understanding Comics, a pile of Bristol board, these expensive pens and inks, a drawing board, and all the comics I enjoyed when I was her age.”
Not only did he perfectly illustrate the annoyance that is too aggressive social algorithms, but he did it by describing my parenting style. Case in point. Thanks Phil!
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Unlikely universe
I bought a “my first book on physics” for my five year old. Tonight, as I was reading about the Copenhagen vs many-worlds interpretations of quantum mechanics, he started laughing. I asked him what was so funny, and the answer was that he was tickling his own foot.
Does anyone need further proof that we live in something that can only be a highly unlikely parallel world?
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New tent ⛺️
Got my new tent earlier this week. Tried to set it up for the first time today. I got it to look like something resembling the promotional pictures, which I’ll take as a win given I did it in the living room with kids ages five and two “helping” me getting it done.
Forgot to take pictures. Will grab a few the next time I try it. Which will be in the backyard, once the weather gets a little warmer. Looking forward to spending some days in the wild this year!
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Spreadsheets
I’ve spent the better part of my working hours over the last decade and a half working with spreadsheets. Nevertheless, I completely panic when I see this:
Send help!
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What happened, Spotify?
I opened Spotify on my laptop last night, and this was what met me:
I think the only way you could possibly end up with such an aggressive, almost hostile, first screen is through micro-optimisation. To try and maximise every little inch of screen real estate according to some metric, with no regard for the overall experience.
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Structure versus flexibility
The more structured you are in your approach, the more likely it is that you will fail from a lack of flexibility.
The more flexible you are in your approach, the more likely it is that you will fail from a lack of structure.
Balancing these two is highly individual. Whatever your natural inclination, you probably need to tune down on that parameter and increase the opposite.
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Bonus day
Everything you accomplish in a normal year, you do without this day at your disposal. It’s a bonus day. How about spending it in a way that makes this year something special?
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Footer update
I’ve added a couple of links to the “Discover” section of the footer. If you’re enjoying this blog, you’ll find plenty more interesting content by exploring those blogrolls/directories/webrings. Check them out!
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Product comparison tables
Comparison tables can be really useful in highlighting the distinguishing features of your product. Proton’s product feature table for Drive is a masterful piece of copy.
It perfectly highlights the reasons for why I should pick Proton over the alternatives with just six words and nine bullets.
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Form versus function
I’ve made some adjustments to the text sizes on my size. Although the smaller size looks more orderly and organised in list views, I realised that on mobile it both reduces readability and makes it slightly harder to tap the intended object.
From now on, I’ll use the small text size more sparingly. I.e. for “out of focus” content like metadata and similar.
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UX takeaways from social media
An unexpected UX takeaway from social media, Instagram in particular, is that I’ve come to enjoy browsing a brand’s product selection presented as a stream of photos. It’s a convenient way to explore a product range when you’re not looking for something in particular. I think more brands should adopt this way of presenting their products on their own websites.
It’s a good example of how constraints can lead to interesting solutions.
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Upcoming post
The other morning I was staring on a blank file as I sat down to write. I came up with a headline — “How to sleep well” — and that was all I had. Now it’s a piece consisting of nearly 3000 words and more than 20 references to scientific studies.
I don’t know why I do this to myself. But I do and I won’t stop.
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Consistency and progress (in the gym)
18 weeks ago, I was back in the gym for the first time in about 15 years. I squatted 30 kg. Less than half my body weight.
Yesterday, loading up a whopping 70 kg, I finally squatted more than my body weight.
Screenshot from my training log to show what it took. Anyone can do it.
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Did someone say dark mode?
If you’re visiting my website with dark mode enabled in your OS settings, I’ve got something for you. Still some tweaking to do, but almost there. Full write-up on how to set up a dark mode version of your theme in WordPress — no plugins required — coming up.
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Privacy policy
I’ve published the privacy policy page. My goal is to make it clear exactly what tracking I employ on my personal website, and how you can opt out. I very much welcome suggestions on how to improve and make it even clearer.
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