diff --git a/blog.org b/blog.org index 6ad7367..3dfd43c 100644 --- a/blog.org +++ b/blog.org @@ -2,13 +2,14 @@ #+HUGO_SECTION: posts #+HUGO_AUTO_SET_LASTMOD: t -* Meta :@Meta: +* Meta :@Meta: * Technology :@Technology: -** A perfect email setup (for me) +** TODO A perfect email setup (for me) :PROPERTIES: :EXPORT_FILE_NAME: a-perfect-email-setup-for-me :EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :toc true :END: + I've never been satisfied with any of the email clients most people use. I've tried [[https://www.thunderbird.net/en-GB/][Thunderbird]], [[https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Evolution][Evolution]], [[https://getmailspring.com/][Mailspring]], [[https://support.apple.com/mail][Mail.app]], [[https://roundcube.net/][Roundcube]], [[https://sogo.nu/][SOGo]], [[https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Geary][Geary]], and /many/ more. /None/ of them handle multiple accounts @@ -350,6 +351,221 @@ accounts as you want to send email from. *** TODO Pong fluffy when finished +** TODO Making yourself overly available + +*** References +[[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-cal-newport.html?showTranscript=1][Stop. Breathe. We Can’t Keep Working Like This.]] + +*** Notes +**** Get rid of information that isn't important +**** Escalate the info that is +**** Set /clear/ boundaries for when you are available +**** Enforce those with automatic DnD rules or use timers +**** With groups... +***** Specialisation is /good/ and should be /encouraged/ +***** /All/ of the above points apply with coworkers as well + +*** TODO Pong Jake when finished + +** TODO Catchy title about Supernote being "the new paper" :Supernote:Writing:Productivity:Organisation: +:PROPERTIES: +:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: something-about-supernote +:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :toc true +:END: + +I like writing things down. I like the feel of the pen (preferably a +fountain pen) glide smoothly over the paper, that nice solid feeling of +the tip against the table, seeing the ink dry as it flows from the nib, +accidentally swiping my hand through it before it's finished and +smearing a bit of ink across the page, cursing under my breath as I dab +it up with a handkerchief or a napkin or something else nearby. I also +love that writing things by hand [[https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614524581][has an impact on memory and improves +retention]]. + +*** The problem +Unfortunately, I don't love keeping up with that paper. Across many +different classes, even with dedicated folders for each one, something +important inevitably gets lost. Notebooks are also bulky and can take up +a lot of space. I tried [[https://bulletjournal.com/][bullet journalling]] for about a month earlier +this year and, while the process was enjoyable, the maintenance was not. +My brain moves faster than my pen (even though I have terrible +handwriting) and I inevitably forget letters or even whole words. This +is a problem while writing in pen because white-out looks ugly and I +dislike wasting whole pages because of a couple mistakes. + +The obvious solution here is to get an iPad with an Apple Pen, right? +Right?? + +Wrong because Apple bad[fn:2]. + +*** The solution +Enter the world of ... what are they even called? E-ink notebooks? Paper +tablets? E-R/W[fn:1]? Do they even have a "device category" yet? I don't +know but they solve my problem in a wonderful way. + +As the names suggest, these are devices that can /usually/ open and read +e-books (EPUBs, PDFs, etc.), annotate them, and create standalone pages +of notes as if they were full notebooks. The most well-known of these +devices is likely the [[https://remarkable.com/][reMarkable]]. They had a [[https://venturebeat.com/2019/10/08/remarkable-raises-15-million-to-bring-its-e-paper-tablets-to-more-scribblers/][hugely successful +crowdfunding campaign]] and produced the reMarkable 1, followed by [[https://blog.remarkable.com/remarkable-2-the-next-generation-paper-tablet-91b47d0080cb][the +reMarkable 2 in 2020]]. There are a few others by now but we'll look at +the reMarkable first. + +*** The reMarkable +This device boasts all of the features I was looking for. It renders +digital content, from books and manuals to comics and light novels, +allows you to mark those documents up as you would if it were physical +media, create full notebooks of hand written text, organise them, +search, and, if your handwriting is legible enough (mine certainly is +not), perform OCR on your notes and email a transcription to yourself. +It even runs Linux and the developers have opened SSH up so you can +remote in and tinker with it as much as you like. Because of this, +there's a pretty awesome [[https://github.com/reHackable/awesome-reMarkable][community of people creating third-party tools +and integrations]] that add even further functionality. My favourite is +probably [[https://github.com/bordaigorl/rmview][rMview]], a really fast VNC client for the reMarkable that allows +you to view your device's screen on any computer. + +After watching all of [[https://www.youtube.com/c/MyDeepGuide][MyDeepGuide's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsSI9-gaSSmiXwb7Vjk5Vb-nB41UTnrXd][extensive playlist on the +reMarkable]], however, I decided to go with a different product. + +*** Enter the Supernote A5X +The [[https://www.supernote.com/#/product?type=SN-A5-X][Supernote A5X]] has all of the basic features the reMarkable has: +reading documents, writing notes, and organising your content. Its +implementation, on the other hand, seems to be much more polished. It +also lacks some features from the reMarkable while adding others. + +*** Operating System +While the reMarkable runs Codex[fn:3], a /"custom Linux-based OS +optimised for low-latency e-paper"/, the Supernote just runs Android. +There are both benefits and detriments to this; on one hand, they're +running all of Android, bloated that it is, on a very lightweight +tablet. On the other, they don't have to develop and maintain a custom +operating system. This allows them to focus on other aspects that are +arguably more important so I don't actually mind that it runs Android. + +The only place that Android stands out is in system operations; file +transfer uses MTP and, when you swipe down from the top of the device, a +small bar appears as in early Android. This lets you change WiFi +networks, sync between the companion app on your LAN, the remote +servers, take a screenshot, search, and access the system settings. +Nothing else about the device really makes me think of Android. + +*** Community +I don't usually browse Reddit but [[https://old.reddit.com/r/Supernote/][the Supernote community]] there is +fascinating. I haven't looked around enough to know exactly what his +relationship is with the company, but one of the members, [[https://old.reddit.com/user/hex2asc][u/hex2asc]], +seems to represent Supernote in something of an official capacity. He's +incredibly active and usually responds to posts and questions within a +couple of days. + +Before I purchased one, [[https://old.reddit.com/r/Supernote/comments/lhffyd/sync_targets_open_document_formats_and_crossnote/][I wrote a post]] asking about a couple of things +that concerned me: sync targets, open document formats, and cross-note +links. I don't ever plan to write full documents with a keyboard on the +Supernote but it would still be nice. The other features would be +absolutely killer for me as I would like to maintain a Zettelkasten (I +wrote about [[/vim-as-a-markdown-editor/][using Vim to do so]] last year but didn't end up sticking with +it) and manage document synchronisation with my own Nextcloud server. +The community was quick to respond and confirm that Zettelkasten +functionality would be implemented soon™. u/hex2asc responded /the day +after/ and said that WebDAV would be supported but not earlier than May, +ODF would likely not be supported, and cross-note links were definitely +a possibility. Another community member has been avidly following the +subreddit and even put together an [[https://app-rm.roadmunk.com/publish/03e6dca3d769e2b7015f7f48a649cb3f75f44d9e][unofficial roadmap]]. + +*** Interfaces + +**** Home & Organisation + +***** TODO Record very short videos + +**** Settings + +***** TODO Record very short videos + +**** Writing & Annotating + +The following images are screenshots of the full page above with the +possible UI variations while reading a book. This first one is default, +with the editing bar at the top. It is exactly the same as what's +displayed on the blank pages for hand writing full notes. From left to +right is the Table of Contents toggle, the pen tools (fineliner, +"fountain" pen[fn:5], and highlighter), the erasers, lasso select tool, +undo/redo, context menu, palm rejection toggle, previous page, goto +page, next page, and exit. + +[[/assets/pngs/supernote-reader-default.png]] + +You can hold your finger on that bar and drag it down to detach it from +the top. The default width exposes all the tools without whitespace. You +can move it around the screen by dragging the circle with a straight +line through the middle on the far left. + +[[/assets/pngs/supernote-reader-medium.png]] + +If you tap that circle, the width shrinks and everything except the +pens, erasers, and undo/redo buttons are hidden. It can be dragged the +same was as in the previous image and tapping that circle will expand +the bar again. + +[[/assets/pngs/supernote-reader-small.png]] + +The last mode is with the bar completely hidden. You achieve this just +by dragging it to the right edge of the screen. Once hidden, you can +swipe right to left from the edge and it will be revealed flush with the +right edge. + +[[/assets/pngs/supernote-reader-minimal.png]] + +*** Experience +**** Reading content +I love e-ink. I think it looks beautiful and would love to have an e-ink +monitor[fn:4]. That said, the Supernote has an especially nice display +with 226 PPI (pixels per inch). The image below was taken with my +phone's camera so it's not very good. However, if you zoom in a bit, you +can see that the curved edges of some letters are /slightly/ pixellated. +Viewing with my naked eye at a comfortable distance, it does look better +/to me/ than some of my print books. + +[[/assets/pngs/supernote-resolution.png]] + +/At the moment,/ I am pretty disappointed with Table of Contents detection +for ePUBs. A great many of my books seem to use a legacy ToC format that +the Supernote sees and tries/fails to read before attempting to read the +more recent + +**** Writing notes +I write notes as often if not /more/ often than I read and annotate books. +It's the main reason I purchased the device and I love the experience. + +**** Surfacing Content + +*** TODO Pong Isi and Volpeon when finished + +** TODO Setting LXC up for local "cloud" development +* Education :@Education: +** TODO Homeschooling * Music :@Music: * Pipe Smoking :@Pipe__Smoking: -* Dungeons & Dragons :@Dungeons__and__Dragons: +* Dungeons & Dragons :@Dungeons__and__Dragons: + +* Footnotes + +[fn:5] It's not really a fountain pen even though that's what they call +it; it's just pressure-sensitive. + +[fn:4] While this would be absolutely awesome, it would also be +prohibitively expensive and difficult to write software for. E-ink +displays are /far/ from cheap and the incredibly low refresh rate would +render usual computing habits ... odd. For example, words wouldn't show +up right as you type them; the delay there would be significant and the +same goes for a mouse. The idea is nonetheless compelling. + +[fn:3]Taken from their [[https://support.remarkable.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006699537-About-reMarkable-2-][support page about the reMarkable 2]]; search the +page for /operating system/ and it should show up. + +[fn:2]I dislike Apple's operating system, their hardware, business +model, privacy practises, and much of what they stand for as a company. +Don't @ me. + +[fn:1]E-R/W is a play on media commonly being labelled as R/W when you +can read from it and write to it.