Nothing Else
Creative Productivity, Tim Ferriss & Apollo Robbins, A Workflow to Swich System Audio, The X100VI
Hey guys! Here’s some things that stood out from my previous week:
On Creative Productivity
I read this article that talks about a simple technique to help you be more productive with creative work. The "technique,” actually is super simple: set a specific time frame each day to work on your craft, you don’t have to work on it if you don’t want to, but don’t let yourself do anything else. Basically, you are forcing yourself to get work done, and guess what… it works! I can tell you this is true from my own experience. For a while now every morning I give myself about half an hour (often a bit more) to write fiction on my typewriter. Most of the time I write short stories, but I’ve been working on an outline for a while that could easily become a short novel. I doubt I will finish a whole book anytime soon at this speed, but working on my writing regularly is most important to me right now. And I have to tell you, some mornings it’s hard to sit there and write, even though I love my typewriter and I like the idea of sitting down to do some creative writing. It’s just after being away from my phone and other distractions, feeling uninspired and a bit frustrated… it’s just after getting past the blank page with a few sentences, that I see the text start to flow.
On Podcasts
I listened to this episode of Tim Ferris’s podcast with Apollo Robbins—a famous pickpocket. I often listen to this podcast and there are usually some good conversations, but this episode was extra interesting. I just did not know that so much psychology and manipulation had to do with pickpocketing. For the most part this episode with Apollo Robbins just satisfied a lot of curiosity I didn’t even know I had, but there’s also some other stuff related to philosophy of life and thinking. Like, what is truth? What is deception? What will the world be like now that it’s hard to tell one thing from another. There is just so much in this episode, maybe one of my favorites in a long time.
On System Audio
This past week I started using this Alfred workflow for changing which audio output device I use in my computer. Soundsource is usually the recommended app for having total control of your system’s audio. It allows you to control the volume for each app separately, it also lets you add equalization (EQ) and much more. Still, just for simply switching devices with a keyboard shortcut, Soundsource is a bit of an overkill. The Alfred workflow is super simple and works perfectly.
On Photo Duplicates
Someone on Reddit shared this new app (currently FREE) for finding duplicates in your iPhone’s photo gallery. I have to say that there seem to be lots of apps like this on the App Store and many of them perhaps with even more features. But since it’s free and without ads, you can’t compete with that. Compared to the built-in iOS feature to find photos that are the same, with this app you can set how much the photos have to be alike, so you get not just exact copies, but photos that are close to being the same. Pretty helpful and it does what it promises.
On Fuji!
This past week the X100VI was released! Only a few cameras can get me excited after more than a decade in photography & video. The X100 line from Fujifilm is one of them. Some years ago I was looking for something small, good looking, and feature rich to shoot street photography with. I was coming from an analogue world and just wanted to “test” if there was something that would feel as inspiring to me in digital. Well, I really fell in love with the camera. It became a daily companion. I later purchased the X100V and it also captured not only a lot of street photos with me, but also a lot of personal memories. In the last year I have been shooting much more with my iPhone (since I love the quality and that it fits in my pocket), but the X100V still has a very special place in my heart and still grab it once in a while. Will I be getting the X100VI? Probably not. I think the lower number of megapixels in my X100V is good enough for the use I give it.
On Cinema
Match Point (2005) . Not a big fan of Woody Allen, but this one made the cut. Synopsis: Chris, a former tennis player, looks for work as an instructor. He meets Tom Hewett, a wealthy young man whose sister Chloe fall in love with Chris. But Chris has his eye on Tom’s fiancee Nola.
Perfect Days (2023). A perfect little film from Wim Wenders. Probably my favorite since his Paris, Texas. Very Ozu like. Quiet, observational, deep, introspective, insightful. Synopsis: Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.
Memory (2023). I love the films by director Michel Franco, and when I saw he had just released a film with Jessica Chastain I knew it would be good. I just didn’t expect it to be THIS good. A beautiful film. Synopsis: Sylvia is a social worker who leads a simple and structured life: her daughter, her job, her AA meetings. This is blown open when Saul follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past.
The Zone of Interest (2023). This week I watched many incredible films in a row. I was waiting for this one ever since I watched Under the Skin. An amazing piece of cinema and a huge lesson on the power of audio and its contrast with visuals to create tone. Synopsis: The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
System Crasher (2019). A troubled child story. You get to see everything from an unusual and very personal perspective. Such a good film. Synopsis: Wherever 9-year-old Benni ends up, she is expelled. She has become what child protection services call a “system crasher.” But she is not looking to change her ways, and has one goal: go back home to her mother. When anger management trainer Micha is hired to help, suddenly there is hope.
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