Andy Ihnatko

Zen in the Art of Writing Zen in the Art of Writing - Kindle edition by Bradbury, Ray. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Zen in the Art of Writing.

Ray Bradbury's classic _Zen In The Art Of Writing_ is discounted to just THREE DAMN DOLLARS on the Kindle store! One of the few great "a writer writes about writing" books.

amzn.to/4cBNouY

(I'm sure that a classic Note Pad for Linux exists. The point is that after I couldn't find what I was looking for after 10 minutes, the idea of just writing the app I wanted from scratch became a practical option. 20 minutes > definitely had what I needed, vs. ? min on more searching and ?)

Funny you should suggest that! Gemini recommended a few that weren't right. That's what inspired me to try vibecoding it instead of continuing the hunt.

I came across a bash script that performs handy maintenance on my Linux notebook. I just wanted to capture it to a very simple Notes tool so I could grab it whenever I need it. No such app was part of my Pop!_OS install. I couldn't find anything like what I wanted in its App Store, either. We're at the point where (at least for very quick apps) it's quicker to just vibecode a new app than to find what you want. Like, vibecoding an app is nothing new. Some people are kind of insufferable about it, to the extreme of inviting actual software engineers to point at them and shout "STOLEN VALOR!" But today was the day that I rewired my processes. From now on -- at least on Linux -- if I can't find an app I need in just a couple of minutes, and it seems like something simple, I'm just going to close the app store window and open up Gemini or Claude. There's no longer a reason not to.

The classic writer's dilemma: I spontaneously wrote a 1200 word thing, and an 1800-word thing. Yay! But I didn't write the 1000-word thing that I intended to write, and which I really wanted to get off my to-do list today. (Not a "boo" but maybe not ideal, either?)

A photo from the aforementioned Last Nice Long Walk of the workweek.

I took a last long walk before I'm likely to be shut in for two days. I picked up breakfast pastries for Monday and Tuesday, and groceries for a hearty Monday night dinner that will simmer low and slow in a pot all afternoon.

I have a project to work on, a book to read…and a sense of resignation.

John Adams John Adams - Kindle edition by McCullough, David. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading John Adams.

David McCullough's Pulitzer-winning biography of John Adams is just FOUR DAMN DOLLARS on the Kindle store. One of my favorite books...he really brings a great man and that era to life. I wind up re-reading it every year or two.

amzn.to/4rfwGpE

Surf and turf, Winter style.

A triplet of Hooded Mergansers. No doubt they're quite grateful that at least _some_ of the cove is finally splashy again, instead of crunchy.

Today's discovery: if you google "Mustache," the Google logo sprouts a series of mustaches.

Fab!!

My range of emotions when I arrived at the library and saw the white smoke: (1) Surprise that I hadn't heard the sad news about the Library Pope; (2) Relief that the conclave had agreed on a new one so quickly; (3) Disappointment that I hadn't even made the shortlist (I checked my messages...nada).

Steve Martin Writes the Written Word: Collected Written Word Works by Steve Martin Steve Martin Writes the Written Word: Collected Written Word Works by Steve Martin - Kindle edition by Martin, Steve. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Steve Martin Writes the Written Word: Collected Written Word Works by Steve Martin.

This collection of interesting word usements structured by @stevemartinreally.bsky.social is just THREE DAMN DOLLARS on Kindle. amzn.to/3M2Zv9F (Amazon affiliate link)

I'm very sad about it. I usually get to talk to my friend @alexlindsay.bsky.social a minimum of three hours a week. Do you have any idea how much that would cost, at his usual hourly consulting rate?

Wishing a Very Messy Kindle to all of those who observe the holiday and who tap "Send" before realizing that autocorrect screwed up the greeting.

TAKE DOWN THE ILLEGITIMATE REGIME THAT DROVE OUR BELOVED BULLWINKLE BALLOON INTO UNDERSERVED EXILE

About to record EPISODE 1000 of the MacBreak Weekly podcast on @twit.tv ! Does this mean we have tenure, and can never be thrown out of this institution no matter what we do or say? LET'S FIND OUT SHALL WE YES I THINK WE SHOULD

And every customer is a repeat customer. They're all going to want orange cones again when the leaves turn green after winter.

Business idea: a service that will go around at the start of Autumn and replace all of a client property's high-visibility orange cones with high-visibility green ones, in the interests of higher visibility when all the leaves are orange.

Ok, I admit that the password to the security cameras on _my_ crown jewel collection is "LOUVRE," too. So maybe I shouldn't be so judgy.

But in my defense, I don't have that word literally on a big sign on my front door. It's a much more oblique choice.

CAKE

I think this exhibit was some sort of art piece. Therefore, I chose to project my perceptions and preconceptions into it. @museumofscience.bsky.social

Yup! I successfully attached myself to one of my favorite shows.

Q: Is there anything more cool than a two-story-tall working Van de Graaff generator?

A: Possibly a two-story-tall working Van de Graaff generator with Elvis Costello performing selections from "My Aim ls True" inside the safety birdcage. Otherwise...no.

Nice guy. Kept asking me if I needed a place to hang up my hat. Big hockey fan.

It's the obligation of an artist to be patient and thoughtful, rather than accept the first furtive flash of inspiration.

(Also, that @museumofscience.bsky.social exhibit is so large that a selfie with my hand up one of the nostrils wasn't really possible. So, to hell with it: I went with "arty.")

Thanks! I've bookmarked this video for later.

Excellent talk and you presented technology very well.

Screenshot of a YouTube player window. The video is entitled "Great ideas start on Mac" and was posted to the Apple official channel. The frame is paused on an image of a MacBook screen, with an empty document. Closed-Captioning is enabled and shows a quote attributed to Jane Goodall: "Every story you love, Every invention that moves you, Every idea you wished was yours, All began as nothing."

A pair of satellite images of the White House. An outline of the footprint of the East Wing shows the site before and after demolition,

The debut of Apple's big "Great ideas start on Mac" campaign happened during the same week as the demolition of the East Wing and the disclosure of Apple's financial contribution supporting it.

I wonder if Apple Marketing regards this as Bad Timing, or _Perfect_ Timing?