minimalism

Bilingual

Things that work (for me)
2 months ago
- The author believes in continually improving tools, but lists those that work so well they are considered solved problems, adopting a minimalistic approach to purchases.
- Digital tools: Tuta Mail for privacy-respecting email, Apple Notes for simple synced notes and tasks, Visual Studio Code as the preferred code editor, Trello for project tracking, and Bear Blog as a personal blogging platform.
- Physical tools: Apple Airpods Pro for noise cancelling and audio quality, New Balance 574 shoes for comfort and durability, CeraVe Moisturising Lotion for skin health, Eucerin sunscreen for daily non-oily use, Salt of the Earth deodorant for odor neutrality, and a felted wool hat for thermoregulation.
- Under consideration: Lululemon ABC pants (comfortable but stain-prone) and merino wool t-shirts (non-smelly, soft, but durability concerns).
- The author emphasizes intentional purchasing, replacing old items with new ones, and keeping both digital and physical possessions minimal to avoid clutter.
A 2024 Plea for Lean Software (with running code) - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- Software today is excessively bloated, with 350MB packages and 1,600 dependencies, leading to serious security risks.
- Security is dire due to vast attack surfaces, poor code quality, and logic bugs; even top companies like Apple and Google make critical mistakes.
- Economic incentives favor speed over security, but legislation like the EU's Cyber Resilience Act may force vendors to prioritize software quality.
- The author created Trifecta, a minimal image-sharing tool with 1,600 lines of code and few dependencies, proving that lean, modern software is still possible.
- Reducing the amount of code shipped, inspecting dependencies, and prioritizing simplicity over complexity are key to improving software security.
Stuff
2 months ago
- People in America, especially poorer ones, tend to accumulate excessive stuff, which has become cheaper and less valuable over time.
- Stuff often has little practical value if not used immediately, and it can become a burden, owning the person instead of being owned.
- Cluttered spaces are mentally exhausting because they require more energy to process, making a house full of stuff depressing.
- To avoid accumulating useless items, ask if a purchase will make life noticeably better or be used constantly, and consider the overall cost of ownership.
- Books are an exception as they are easier to manage in bulk, but for other possessions, it's better to choose services over goods.
Emacs Writing Machine
2 months ago
- The author struggles with finishing writing drafts due to attention issues and has abandoned social media to focus.
- Inspired by Veronica Explains, the author repurposed a slow ThinkPad T440 as a dedicated 'writerdeck' running Debian without a desktop environment.
- The writing setup uses Emacs with minimal configuration (deft and Markdown mode), booting directly to Emacs for distraction-free writing.
- Files are synced via a Git repository on Codeberg with magit, avoiding syncthing or ssh for simplicity.
- The author finds the setup extremely snappy and focuses better while writing from anywhere, like a couch.
- Minor issues include a blinking cursor in kmscon and poor display of bright Emacs themes, but the default dark theme works.
- The author reused an existing laptop to avoid e-waste, rejecting a Raspberry Pi Zero alternative.

minimalism

Things that work (for me)

A 2024 Plea for Lean Software (with running code) - Bert Hubert's writings

Stuff

Emacs Writing Machine