Anchoring Ourselves
The Photography of Michelle Groskopf, Reality in Photography, Productivity and Minding One’s Own Business, Cleanshot for Video, Trying Out Yabai Window Manager
Hey everyone! Last week, I didn’t send out the usual newsletter. Instead, I shared a post about how I’m customizing my keyboard using Karabiner. I had planned to give a quick update in the newsletter, but preparing the Karabiner article and video took up most of my time :) Now, let me share with you a few things that have stood out the most for me over the past two weeks.
On Photography
I watched THIS video with street photographer Michelle Groskopf where she talks about her process and philosophy when taking photos on the streets. I didn’t know anything about Michelle, and at first, her style reminded me of Bruce Gilden. However, as I listened to her talk and how she sometimes interacts with the people she photographs, it helped me understand the differences more. Here are a few quotes that stood out:
A whole other conversation we can have is about what’s real and what’s not real. And I love having that conversation, because I don’t think photography is real at all. But there’s still, you know, things that we can anchor ourselves to in the frame and understand…
I like people to see how I work because I don’t think they get it. Either they think it’s easier than it is to do, or that I’m ruder than I am, or that it’s completely posed all the time. Or they just don’t understand the energy of it.
On Minding One’s Own Business
This past week I read THIS SHORT ARTICLE on Austin Kleon’s blog and I found it insightful. I had never thought about the relationship between productivity and minding one’s own business. Here’s a few quotes that stood out:
“I’m not trying to be aloof. My superpower is that I mind my own business… And I actually think that helps my productivity more than anything.”
—Hanif AbdurraqibMy commitment to minding my own business sharply clarifies what I consider my business and what I absolutely do not, and so it realigns my focus, my depth of care for the things I DO care about, my actual & literal energy, etc.
On System Customization Apps
Did you know you can adjust how quickly your cursor blinks and moves on your Mac while you write, edit, or navigate text? You can find a setting for this in System Preferences, but you can also use two separate terminal commands (InitialKeyRepeat and KeyRepeat) for more control by directly setting them up. THIS WEBSITE allows you to preview how different settings will affect your cursor speed. It’s a helpful way to test before making changes. My InitialKeyRepeat value is 10, and my KeyRepeat value is 1. If you sometimes feel that your typing speed—or rather, the way that your system follows your typing speed—is not keeping up with your thoughts, this can definitely help.
On Video Editing and Audio
I watched some demos of the DxRevive plugin for FCPX and after testing for myself I decided to purchase this plugin. It’s definitely impressive to see how much recovery can there be done on audio and I can only expect that we will continue seeing much more amazing tools come out thanks to AI.
I purchased Screen Studio for doing screen recordings and tutorials. Another amazing tool that I’m surprised I’m just finding out about. Save lots of time and get beautiful screen recordings in no time. Kind of like what Cleanshot X or Xnapper are for stills, but for video.
Tony Dinh, the dev who created TypingMind (one of my favorite GPT apps), has recently introduced Voice Dual, a web app that uses AI in a speech-to-speech transformation. I see this as just the beginning of “something.” I don’t personally know many situations where something like this would be useful, and I wish it supported more languages apart from English. Nevertheless, it’s still very impressive. What’s even more impressive to me is another tool from the same company Tony is using for the API, Resemblance AI, which is showcased HERE. I can’t wait to see tools using this in FCPX.
On Window Managers
What window manager do you use? I recently tried Yabai and it completely changed how I see window manager apps. It’s the most complex app of its kind that I’ve ever used, but the number of features and options is amazing. I’ve watched several YouTube videos about this app, but THIS ONE was the easiest to follow if you want to try it out. One thing I did differently was using Karabiner for all the keybindings instead of ‘skhd’. Now it feels like all the windows on my Mac manage themselves, and I can quickly rearrange almost anything without taking my hands off the keyboard.
On Cinema
American Movie (1999) . A very inspiring and surprisingly well made documentary about the struggles of filmmaker Mark Borcardt. One of those films where you are not sure if what you are watching is comedy or tragedy. Synopsis: American Movie is the story of filmmaker Mark Borchardt, his mission, and his dream. Spanning over two years of intense struggle with his film, his family, financial decline, and spiritual crisis, American Movie is a portrayal of ambition, obsession, excess, and one man’s quest for the American Dream.
May December (2023). Atmospheric. Lots of space. Amazing performances. Synopsis: Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.
Habit (1997). I loved that this low budget film was able to achieve so much with its story and felt so fresh and different from any other of its kind. Synopsis: It’s autumn in New York. Sam has broken up with his girlfriend and his father has recently died. World-weary and sloppy drunk, he finds temporary solace in the arms of Anna, a mysterious vampire who draws him away from his friends and into a web of addiction and madness.
God’s Country (2022). A very good drama, simple as that. Synopsis: When a grieving college professor confronts two hunters she catches trespassing on her property, she’s drawn into an escalating battle of wills with catastrophic consequences.
Priscilla (2023). A wonderful character study by Sofia Coppola. Synopsis: When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.
If you liked this you may also enjoy some content I have up on my YT Channel! I don’t hang around social media a lot, but when I do I’m on IG or Twitter. You can also check out some of my online classes, listen to my music, or in case you haven’t already, subscribe to my weekly newsletter. Thank you for reading!