- Sailing. It's an intricate mix of freedom, beauty, nature, rigor, relaxation, and adrenaline. It never gets boring. - [1843, the magazine,](https://www.economist.com/1843) is my go-to place when I want to read a good story for fun. Their journalism focuses on culture and is incredibly relevant, interesting, and fun to read. - [The](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/22/world/coronavirus-spread.html) [insanely](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/coronavirus-maps-italy-iran-korea.html) [impressive](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/exploring-the-solar-system.html) [data](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/27/us/donald-trump-taxes-timeline.html) [viz](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/09/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion.html) [done](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/02/science/iss-20th-anniversary-timeline.html) [by](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/24/climate/fires-worst-year-california-oregon-washington.html) [the](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/13/us/george-floyd-protests-cities-photos.html) [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/30/us/2020-year-in-graphics.html) - Good applications human-computer interactions, and other technology that does an excellent job of implementing the way we, as humans, think and live. Augmented reality is the cornerstone of this field, and [this Ted Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology?language=en) from 2009(!) blew my mind; the website [mymind](https://mymind.com/) is on its way to being a second memory for my online discoveries; and 3D-printing + conductive ink are two technologies that are quickly bridging the gap between cool ideas we find on the web and making those ideas into reality, every day. - [Vivobarefoot shoes](https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/latest). They are just so comfortable. I hiked Equador in a pair of Primus Lite II's + a pair of Xero sandals. - Layers of clothing. Figuring out how to layer my clothes was a life-changer. I'll never go back. These are my go-to layers, and I can keep/swap any of them depending on the weather: [HeatTech t-shirt from Uniqlo](https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/men-heattech-crew-neck-short-sleeve-t-shirt-429012.html?dwvar_429012_color=COL09&cgid=men-heattech#ptid=men-heattech&start=1&cgid=men-heattech), [HeatTech long sleeve shirt from Uniqlo](https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/men-heattech-extra-warm-crew-neck-long-sleeve-t-shirt-429017.html?dwvar_429017_color=COL09&cgid=men-heattech#start=1&cgid=men-heattech), [Unbound Merino long sleeve shirt](https://unboundmerino.com/collections/mens-merino-wool-clothing/products/long-sleeve-merino-crew-1) (really expensive, but by far my absolute favorite shirt I've ever owned), and [Champion long sleeve shirt](https://www.amazon.com/Champion-Sleeve-Double-Performance-T-Shirt/dp/B01DAQTOHK/ref=pd_sbs_2?pd_rd_w=IsV8c&pf_rd_p=651d64d1-3c73-45b6-ae09-e545600e3a22&pf_rd_r=XJGEXWR98KRK9HFKZ34A&pd_rd_r=18a092c9-ca96-49a0-aaf0-ce3a747de911&pd_rd_wg=ZE25j&pd_rd_i=B01DAQRJCC&th=1&psc=1). This is how I travel. - Obsidian, and Evergreen notes in general. I write these notes in [Obsidian.md](https://obsidian.md/), and it allows me to easily connect ideas, building a network of ideas that I can fall back to to remind myself of all the interesting things I once thought of. - Finding the right [[Interfaces|interface]]. It's what makes you a good teacher, a good programmer, a good communicator, a good problem-solver, and probably a good lots-of-other-things-too. <!-- - self-growth --> - My to-go backpack is a [Montem Diadema](https://montemlife.com/product/diadema-18l-hiking-daypack/) (there are other similar ones [out there](https://www.cotopaxi.com/products/tarak-20l-backpack-del-dia)). It squishes down to nothing is lightweight and water-resistant, and can fit a ton of stuff for a day. I wouldn't want to hike with it because it doesn't provide much support, but it's the absolute perfect to-go bag. - Car camping. The balance of freedom, [[Discomfort|discomfort]], and safety from the weather made me fall in love with car camping. There's nothing quite like waking up at 6am on a sunny morning and driving to my next new incredible view, with everything I need sitting right next to me. - My merino wool blanket from Otavalo, Equador. It's surprisingly warm without being hot, a great size, lightweight, and pretty. - The word *colloquial*. The way it rolls off the tongue feels so conversational. It's an embodiment of it's own definition. Contrast this to the word *big*, which is just hideous. #### My least favorite things - Email. It's a mix of marketing spam, a unique identifier to sign up to websites with, a todo-list / a "remember this" list, a way to unobtrusively get in contact with someone you like, and a place for important work-related things to get lost. It does so many things, and it does none of them particularly well. - todo lists and planners. I have never found a solution that is flexible enough and contains the right information at the right time to fit my needs. The closest I've ever come is the [8-page book](https://www.instructables.com/An-8-Page-Book-From-a-Piece-of-Paper/). I put *this week* on page one, *M-F* on pages two-six, *weekend* on page seven, *later* on page eight, and my grocery list somewhere on the inside. And then I try to [time-block](https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2013/12/21/deep-habits-the-importance-of-planning-every-minute-of-your-work-day/) the important parts of each weekday. This has worked well, but it still doesn't capture all the important stuff. I've recently started using [linear.app](http://linear.app/) at work to ensure I don't lose track of things and it's working fairly well so far.