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TIL that you can install the free KOReader on your PocketBook Era and export your highlights via WLAN to e.g. NextCloud Notes and Readwise Reader. What a game changer! 🤩

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Moving (my Data) to Europe

In recent weeks, like many others, I’ve been contemplating where my digital data and the services I use are actually located. Predominantly, they reside on servers located in the United States, owned by American tech companies. Given the current political climate, I’ve made an effort to migrate much of my digital life to services within the European Union. To begin this digital relocation, I’ve gone through my current services. My encrypted online backup is hosted on Microsoft’s OneDrive. I use iCloud for emails, calendars, contacts, photo storage, passwords, music, and video streaming. I also rely on iCloud for file storage. Apple services are exceptionally well-integrated into the operating systems I use. The Family Sharing features they offer are awesome, and the stability is now commendably robust. Allegedly, most of these services are end-to-end encrypted. All seems fine, except for recent developments involving Trump, Tim Cook’s support of him and the general attitude of Apple towards the European government. But I don’t want to get too political at this point 😎. Anyhow, I made a table in my BuJo1 and started looking around and testing stuff. Here are the results, including not only servers and services but also related stuff:

A few things were quite simple, at least after I made a decision. Based on very helpful feedback on Mastodon, I found out that NextCloud can be quite well used as a managed service at Hetzner for a reasonable amount of money. I then set up an instance there and moved all my calendars, address book2, tasks3, and a few files and pictures. I still need to spend some time researching encryption on NextCloud and understanding its implications, but overall, it was very easy to set everything up and configure it for the whole family, including calendar sharing, and so on. What I’ve seen so far, I like very much. Even the macOS and especially iOS apps are quite good and you can use passkeys and add two-factor for web authentication. Files that are too sensitive to be stored in the cloud without E2EE, I have saved in a koofr.eu vault. Unfortunately, that’s not quite as simple; you have to use rclone, which is a CLI program, but it’s generally doable. For now, I’ve moved a few backups of my most important data there, which have so far been backed up on OneDrive with Arq4. I exported all the individual photos from my Apple Photo.app library and copied them to an encrypted koofr vault. This went extremely well with the PhotoSync app, which not only supports WebDAV but also encrypted rclone targets.5 How and where I will store my photo roll un the future, I do not know yet; it’s still the biggest challenge. But, I was very pleased to see that a few weeks ago Micro.blog, which is still my blogging platform of choice, offered its users the option to move their blog’s data to European servers, which I did right away. My Obsidian data has felt like it’s been on European servers for years now, and I was thrilled to see that the instance of my only remaining actively used social network, Mastodon, was moved to European servers as well. Regarding maps and route planning, I am now trying to rely solely on OpenStreetMap-based services and apps like OsmAnd, or perhaps Guru Maps. Furthermore, due to the sale of Komoot, which, while still a European company, no longer earns my trust for other reasons, I’ve started switching to bikerouter.de. I already knew that it’s fantastic, but it has a considerably steeper learning curve. I moved my passwords back from Apple’s password app to 1Password. I’m not entirely happy with it6 but after all, it seems to be mainly a Canadian-based company. For email, I’ve been using Posteo, a German provider, and I am very satisfied with it. Regarding search, I haven’t found a European provider yet that I want to use, but I’ve been using Kagi for a few months and hope that their privacy statement holds up. Searching remains an open issue. Additionally, I’ve canceled my YouTube Premium subscription and am trying not to buy anything from Amazon anymore. Maybe I’ll just have to delete my account there to keep this up. We’ll see. To sum it up, I find it very unfortunate that it had to come to this and hope that despite the lack of integration, the various apps and services will still work as reliably as they have. Time will tell for sure.

  1. This might become another post someday. ↩︎

  2. Unfortunately, it appears that contact groups are not supported under macOS when synced via CardDAV; you can only use one address book. It seems to work under iOS, though. I guess only Apple knows why. ↩︎

  3. There seems to be no way to export my reminders and tasks properly; I had to transfer them all by hand, except for those that are already managed in my bullet journal, which fortunately were not many. ↩︎

  4. I am still searching for a service where I can use Arq again; however, that hasn’t worked out yet. I would really like to have an incremental backup of all my data in the cloud. ↩︎

  5.  Filen might be something to look into as well. ↩︎

  6. With all the back-and-forth of moving data, it is not about having fun, but about having a better feeling afterward, I guess. ↩︎

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Making your own bread is awesome

Baking bread is really a great thing. Yesterday we had “Wurzelbrot” (similar to baguette) made with sourdough for breakfast. Then in the afternoon, homemade pizza in the Ooni oven with our own yeast dough, and in the evening, lard bread (with vegan lard and soy yogurt), also made with sourdough 🤩.

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Automated Daily Notes in Obsidian - Daily News Integration

For over a year, a draft has been lying in my project folder, in which I wanted to describe all the shortcuts I use to automatically add some information to my Daily Notes in Obsidian at the end of the day. However, the project was far too big, as my setup is quite complex, and so I haven’t really made any real progress in writing so far. That’s why I thought I should break it down into several smaller pieces (posts), as is always advisable with large tasks, and just start. So today I’m starting completely at random with a shortcut that was only recently added. I will deliberately not go into too much detail, but rather outline a rough framework. If anyone is interested in more detailed information, I will of course try help. Just contact me via e-mail or Mastodon.

But enough of the preamble.

A series of Apple Shortcut automations runs at the end of each day and push information to my Daily Note in Obsidian. Therefore, a helper shortcut controls approximately 15 different shortcuts that collect data.

My Daily Notes consist of several sections:

  • Properties (setup via Templater Scripts)
  • Personal Notes (via Drafts)
  • Daily News (via iMessages → Drafts)
  • Weather (via Shortcuts)
  • Bookmarks (via [Mastodon →] Anybox)
  • YouTube videos watched (via Play)
  • Books read (via Book Track)
  • Finished Tasks (via Reminders)
  • Logged Activities, Streaks, etc. (via Chronicles)
  • Personal RSS feeds, esp. Media Consumption (via Rss copist and e.g. trakt.tv feed)
  • List of created Obsidian Notes (Dataview query)
  • Imported Readwise Reader Highlights (via Readwise Official Plugin and Dataview query)
  • Links to Daily Notes from one, three, six, twelve, and 24 month ago (Templater and inline Dataview query)

Here is a sample screenshot of one of my daily notes (sorry, it’s in German):

So, let’s dive a little bit deeper into the Daily News integration: Tagesschau delivers three important news items twice daily via iMessage. I have those messages muted but an Apple Automation Shortcut picks them up on my iPhone, saves them into Drafts and applies a tag. At day’s end, another shortcut collects the tagged news from Drafts, archives them there, strips a few things, adds a Dataview prefix to the summarised headline section and inserts them to the Daily News section in my Daily Notes Template. (BTW using that property and Dataview, I can display the most important news per day nicely in my weekly notes. But this is a completely different story I 😎.)

And, in case you have wondered: The magic link between all the different apps, Apple Shortcuts and Obsidian, that makes all these automations possible in the first place, is Actions for Obsidian. This is such a great tool 🤩.

Okay, so, that’s it for today. Hopefully, it won’t take me another year to continue this series. 🙋‍♂️

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ShareMyPlugin: All My Enabled Obsidian Plugins

Lou wrote about his Obsidian plugins and mentioned the Share My Plugin List plugin. I’ve previously shared my 10 favorite plugins, but this tool makes it so easy to list all my enabled plugins that I couldn’t resist giving it a try:

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I love how easy it is to vote in Germany

You automatically receive your election documents without having to request them. On election day, you simply walk a few hundred meters to your nearest polling station—ideally in perfect weather—where friendly volunteers are ready to hand you your ballot.

There are usually no long lines, no waiting times.

The entire process takes just a couple of minutes, plus the short walk there and back.

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Finished reading: Die Bullet-Journal-Methode by Ryder Carroll 📚

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Oh by the way, Dry January ✅

I’m super happy that it was really easy for me.

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These figures are a little out of date, but have only got worse since then. I don’t understand how anyone can really believe that foreigners or LGBTQIA+ people are the core problem in our society.

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Media Diet

I wish everyone a good start to the new week. Over the weekend I deliberately didn’t read any news, didn’t consume any RSS articles or social media feeds. My phone felt pleasantly useless. It wasn’t easy for me, of course, but it was a good move. I have just marked 594 unread articles in my feed reader as read and should urgently think about whether I should fundamentally change the way I consume information.

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OMG why did nobody tell me that Dataview Publisher (https://github.com/udus122/dataview-publisher) for #Obsidian exists? What a freakin' game changer 🤩.

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That sounds easy and fun. I will definitely try it out: There oughta be a Game Boy Slideshow

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+1

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TIL if you enable “Offload unused apps” in iOS settings, an app will eventually be deleted, even if you use its functions via a shortcut every day. This will of course break the latter. 🤷‍♂️

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Tech I Don’t Need (But Want)

There are a few tech items I’ve been eyeing for a long time1, which I’d love to have, but the rational part of my brain forbids me from buying—at least for now, thankfully.

First on the list is a drone. Long before insurance requirements and discussions about drone safety became prevalent, I owned a DJI drone2. It was incredibly large and loud but fascinating and took beautiful pictures for its time. Previously, I flew 3D aerobatics with RC helicopters, but I couldn’t afford or justify the constant repairs anymore—almost every flight resulted in something breaking. Anyways, drones are quite different now, practically indestructible if you know what you’re doing. Currently, you can get a DJI Neo for about €160 on sale. I wonder how much has changed in the last ten years. But I don’t really need it. While it’s small enough to be carried easily, I’m not an Instagram influencer needing a vlog drone. I’m more interested in aerial photography, which would require larger models, registration, a license, and insurance. Plus, you can’t just carry them around casually. Therefore, I really should resist my curiosity.

Next are AR glasses. The XReal One seems quite awesome. I’d like to try one and see if such devices could replace a TV. However, the cable setup is still quite extensive, requiring a battery pack, adapters, and a game console or other input device, leaving you tethered to the living room sofa. Also, while you might not look quite as strange wearing them as you would sitting in the living room with ski goggles, sunglasses aren’t much better either, I guess. And is the whole experience really better than just holding a handheld or iPad? For the best experience, I sit in front of my PlayStation connected to a 4K OLED monitor in my “home office” anyways. The chair there isn’t that uncomfortable either. Ultimately, I haven’t used a VR headset since the PlayStation VR for the PS4, eight years ago. How much better are they nowadays? Again, I’m very curious but think it’s not worth buying or owning one—and unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who owns one.

I don’t know why, but I would really love to own a Flipper. I’m fascinated by the idea and versatility of this device, and it looks so awesome. But even after watching tutorials on YouTube, I still don’t know what I’d actually achieve with one. I think I’m just not a hacker and therefore not the target group. 😅

Lastly, there are always new gaming consoles and handhelds in various form factors. I’d love to have an original Game Boy Advance SP with an IPS panel or an Anbernic RG35XXSP, or their recently announced RG34XX, and so many others. But I already own a bunch and must stop buying even more—I should start playing some games instead! Speaking of handhelds, I’d really love to own a MiSTER. Although I have devices that can connect to a TV, including a Raspberry Pi running Batocera and an Analogue Pocket, there’s still a MiSTER missing from my collection to tinker with.3 I must not order one!

By the way, this Fujifilm X100VI is so awesome. And what about the X-T5? 😇

Update 2024-12-08

And how could I forget the Oura Ring 4—another category of devices I find very tempting?

  1. and I just don’t mean newer models of devices I already own, e.g. iPhone, MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch, PS5 (Pro), Action Cam, 3D Printer, etc. ↩︎

  2. a DJI Phantom 3 in 2015 ↩︎

  3. or alternatively a MiSTER Pi ↩︎

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Apps that make me smile

There are those apps that really do nothing productive but just make you smile while using your computer. One I really love is BananaBin a “playful reminder that it’s time to take out the trash”. Today Simon B. Støvring released another one of this kind: Festivitas, which “brings the holiday spirit to your Mac with festive lights for the dock and menu bar 🎄”. You can’t invest your money any better I think.

Update 2024-12-07: laptopllama mentioned “Typibara (a capybara pal that types with you) and Ball (a crucial app for the times where it’s important for you to bounce a ball out of your Dock)”. I instabought Typibara and Ball is also awesome.

Update 2025-03-19: Sindre Sorhus just released Googly Eyes - watchful eyes in your menu bar 👀

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State of App and Services Subscriptions 2024 Edition

I use a variety of apps and services across iOS, macOS, and the web. Most operate on subscription models, and although I aim to keep each subscription under € 5 per month, the total monthly cost can quickly become significant.

At the end of 2023, I reviewed all the apps and services I was subscribed to and decided to cancel some of them.

Now, one year later, it’s time to revisit my list of subscriptions. Some are new (➕), some I will definitely keep (🟢), others I need to (re)consider (🟡), some I won’t renew once their subscription period ends (🔴)1, others I already discontinued and no longer use (⛔), and for a few I bought a lifetime license (LT).

Here’s my current list2 of all the apps and services I’m subscribed to:

App or Service Cost / Month Type State
Apple One Premium 31.95 € m 🟢
MS Office 365 8.25 € y 🟢
YNAB 8.19 € y 🟢
PlayStationPlus 6.00 € y 🟢
Nintendo Switch Online+ (Family) 5.83 € y 🟢
Setapp 5.50 € y 🟢
Feedbin ➕ 5.00 € m 🟢
Micro.blog 4.63 € m 🟢
Obsidian Sync 4.45 € y 🟢
NordVPN 3.80 € y 🟢
Readwise 3.71 € y 🟢
Arq 3.22 € y 🟢
omg.lol (2x) 3.18 € y 🟢
trakt.tv 2.32 € y 🟢
Play 1.92 € y 🟢
Hemispheric Views 1.86 € m 🟢
Mastodon 1.79 € m 🟢
Drafts 1.71 € y 🟢
Mercury Weather 1.67 € y 🟢
EchoFeed ➕ 1.59 € y 🟢
Chronicling 0.83 € y 🟢
TV Forecast 0.83 € y 🟢
Epic Weather Ride 0.71 € y 🟢
HealthFit 0.50 € y 🟢
TrainerRoad ➕ 21.01 € m 🟡
Disney+ (Standard) 8.33 € y 🟡
1Password 5.50 € y 🟡
Kagi 4.78 € m 🟡
FDDB 3.33 € y 🟡
Ivory 2.50 € y 🟡
iConnectHue 1.67 € y 🟡
SwitchBuddy ➕ 1.50 € y 🟡
Looks Like Rain ➕ 0.83 € y 🟡
tinylytics ➕ 4.17 € y 🔴
Frame Screenshots ➕ 1.50 € y 🔴
Callsheet ➕ 0.83 € y 🔴
Reeder ➕ 0.83 € y 🔴
DayOne ⛔
ifttt ⛔
Neptunes ⛔
Overcast Premium ⛔
Personal Best ⛔
Söka ⛔
Timery ⛔
Training Today ⛔
Up Ahead ⛔
Wahoo Systm ⛔
Zenitizer ⛔
Anybox LT
Photomator LT
Waterllama LT
Total: 166.22 €

In total, they cost 166 € a month and almost 25 € more than last year 🤔.

Actually, my goal was to spend less money on software subscriptions, not more. It didn’t really work out. Let’s see how it will be in a year.

As last year this list only covers tech related stuff. Charity and other related expenses are not listed here.

  1. If anyone reading here happens to have anything to do with any of the apps mentioned, please don’t misunderstand: Those are all awesome apps, otherwise I would never have subscribed to them before! 😄 ↩︎

  2. All subscriptions have been converted to Euros and annual subscriptions divided by 12. Some are family subscriptions, some are subscriptions with an education discount. ↩︎

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My Top 10 Obsidian Plugins

I know there are now over two thousand plugins for Obsidian, and everyone uses a different combination. There are also countless lists suggesting various plugins. But that’s the great thing: The individual combination of plugins makes Obsidian exactly the (power) tool that each user wants it to be. So, here are my ten most important plugins1:

  • Dataview: If the Dataview plugin didn’t exist, I might not use Obsidian but something else.
  • Paste URL into Selection: I am always confused when an app does not support this feature.
  • Calendar: It’s a calendar in your sidebar to access daily and weekly notes.
  • Image Converter: Love this plugin; it automatically resizes images that you paste into a note.
  • Templater: A combination of Templater and Dataview brings my new notes to life.
  • Linter: Sometimes I paste something into a note which has a bad MD format; Linter fixes that.
  • Update Modified Date: Does exactly this.
  • Tag Wrangler: A handy plugin for managing large task lists; you can easily rename and join tags.
  • Plugin Update Tracker: Again a plugin that makes things easier. Check for updates, read release notes and update plugins from within a single view.

  1. I actually use a few more. ↩︎

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Discounted macOS / iOS Apps

I think by now everyone has noticed that there’s another Indie App Sale going on. Take a look and see if there are any software bargains you don’t own yet but would like to have. Additionally, the Space/Time sale is also happening, where you can get some really good apps1 at a 50% discount.

  1. And at least one application that has been the subject of controversial discussions 😇. ↩︎

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TIL that, in addition to hitting esc - which I already knew and use all the time - you can cancel a drag of a Finder item by dragging it onto the menu bar. Also, you can drag an item to the header of a Finder’s list view and don’t have to find an empty, safe spot to release it.