The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-02

👤 Personal

1️⃣ First, consider this question (coming from this blog post by Jatan Mehta): “If you were born and brought up in the time of modern social media, where Twitter and Instagram have always existed, would you even blog?" What a great question. I want to share my answer to that one. I'm much older than Manuel Moreale, as he writes in his answer. I was born in 1967. I remember the time before the web, even before computers. I started blogging in 2009, Facebook and Twitter were a thing, just like MySpace. I didn't click at that time that blogging was a thing, until I decided to share my experiences as an indie iPhone apps developer. Back to the question, I'm not sure I would be blogging if the only things I knew were Twitter, Instagram or TikTok. I'm born at the rime where people were using paper for writing, I don't do that these days. Why would I blog on a website that I own if I can write on someone else's platform who take care of everything (including free usage tracking!)? I understand why the following generations (Y and Z) aren't really into blogging, because they are barely into writing and reading. Am I generalizing too much? I'm not sure. My gut feeling is that I'm not.

🗺️ Discoveries

1️⃣ Thanks to this YouTube video, I just discovered Tiny Glade, a game (available on Steam) for building things like castles, small villages and cities. It is so cool and reminds me of Townscaper, another great game I played for a while. Tiny Glade’s graphics are at another level, though. It's the LEGO set of the digital era. I'm sold. Now, I have to find some time to play that game. Here's the video.

📖 Reading

1️⃣ I priceless open letter to Mark Zuckerburg by Daniel Supernault, one of the main contributors to Pixeled. Emphasis is mine.

"Dear Mark,
I hope this finds you well. I noticed something interesting today - it seems Instagram is blocking links to my little open-source project. You know, the one that lets people share photos without harvesting their personal data or forcing algorithmic feeds on them.
I have to admit, I'm flattered. Who would've thought a small team of volunteers could build something that would catch your attention? We're just trying to give people a choice in how they share their memories online. No VCs, no surveillance capitalism, just code and community.
Remember when Facebook started? It was about connecting people, not maximizing engagement metrics. Our project might be tiny compared to Instagram, but we're staying true to that original spirit of social media - giving people control over their online presence without turning them into products.
You could've ignored us. Instead, by blocking our links, you've given us the best endorsement we could ask for. You've confirmed what we've been saying all along - that big tech is more interested in protecting their walled gardens than fostering genuine innovation.
Every time you block a link to our platform, you remind people why we built it in the first place. Your action tells them there are alternatives worth exploring, ones that respect their privacy and agency. So thank you, Mark. You've turned our little project into a symbol of resistance against digital monopolies.
Perhaps one day you'll remember what it felt like to be the underdog, building something because you believed in its potential to make the internet better. Our doors are always open if you want to remember what that feels like.
Best regards,
Daniel Supernault
P.S. Keep blocking those links. Every error message is just free advertising for the social web."

“we’ve also seen a massive recent uptick in low-quality, AI-generated posts behind the paywall, and coordinated activity like fake accounts created by a single person in order to engage with paywalled posts to generate earnings, and more.” — Scott Lamb from Medium

👨🏻‍💻 Writing

1️⃣ I got a little poem from ChatGPT this week that I want to share with you (see below). I get such poems every morning using ChatGPT tasks and reminders. It's pretty cool and inspiring, to be honest. 2️⃣ I'm starting a new blog, this time to give me a chance to write and share in French, and it's about the same interests, to be shared with my friends and those who dare to care. The official launch is approaching.

Whispers of Dawn
The dawn arrives, a tender hue,
A sky brushed soft with morning’s blue.
Each ray of light, a golden thread,
Weaving dreams where hope is fed.

The world awakes in quiet song,
A chorus where we all belong.
The breeze does dance, the leaves take flight,
Nature’s joy in morning’s light.

So take this day, a gift anew,
With endless paths to wander through.
Let courage guide, let love inspire,
And fan the spark of your heart’s fire.

🌄 Photography

1️⃣ Pixelfded iOS app is out! Finally. Instagram blocks posts which link to Pixelfed accounts. As I wrote here, Meta increasingly looks like a digital version of Russia. Pixelfed seems to have a moment, according to TechCrunch. 2️⃣ Could Flickr make a comeback in 2025? “Why Photographers Are Ditching Instagram for Flickr” tries to convince readers that it's yes. I don't think so. 3️⃣ On Glass, I have found this great photo of the original iMac by Robert Nelson. Beautiful. 4️⃣ I got many new followers on Pixelfed recently, Karneol is one of them and shares excellent black and white photos. 5️⃣ Mike McCue, the founder of Flipboard, is on Pixelfed, too. He shares many great images, too. 6️⃣ Speaking of photo-sharing service, Glass introduced Featured Series! It's another great addition to this superb photo-sharing platform.

“Despite the challenges, Flickr (or Glass) offers you a chance to have a more intimate photography space, which can help you 3to nourish your creativity.” - Nilofer Khan (Glass in the quote, by me).

🍎 Apple

1️⃣ Did Apple do something cool since the iPhone? Facebook’s Zuckerberg thinks no. But, as Gruber wrote, look who's talking. What did Meta do in the last decade beyond buying competitors? What a moron. 2️⃣ Great wallpapers collection by Basic Apple Guy. 3️⃣ I picked up a good video about marketing and Apple. 4️⃣ The Apple //c with the monitor on its stand was a great combo, as shown in this photo from Glass. In this photo, the author states that he restored the computer to a working state to use it for posting messages on a retro BBS. Wow! I remember the clicky keyboard sound. 4️⃣ Could a complete iOS UI redesign be in the cards for this year's iOS 19? According to this video, this might be the case. Or not. In any case, I like what I see in this screenshot. 5️⃣ Apple TV+ Severance is taking over Grand Central, and it's pretty cool. Here's a short video made by Apple.

Lumon Takes Grand Central

What appeared to be an elaborate art installation quickly turned into one of the coolest performances in recent memory

Parker’s POVParker Ortolani

🚧 Special projects

1️⃣ I recently decided to spend some time learning an app called Elements for building websites. It's been two weeks, and I find it hard to schedule time regularly for this. I can't find the right moment in the early morning, evening, or weekend. I don't have kids at home anymore. It should be simple. I wonder how people returning to school to learn something new can make it. 2️⃣ I looked at Skillshare, a popular learning platform primarily dedicated to creative people. I was wondering if it could be a place to publish my online course about Craft. I couldn’t find any course related to Craft, which is a good thing. I read a few reviews about the platform, too. I do not like the revenue-sharing model and the fact that only highly popular teachers are at the top of the list all the time making it's hard to be discovered for newbies like me. I'll keep looking. I might stick to Gumroad for that.

📱 Apps & Services

1️⃣ My usage of MindNode Next recently picked up. I'm seeing more and more releases that bring some of MindNode’s features back into MindNode Next. 2️⃣ ChatGPT now supports Reminders, provided that you are a paying subscriber and the right model is selected: “Reminders can be created in chat or through the tasks page under the profile menu, though the "4o with scheduled tasks" model needs to be selected.”. See the screenshot below. I wonder if there will be a better way for the users to access ChatGPT features beyond a dropdown with LLM model names. Maybe this will disappear in the future. Meanwhile, I asked for a poem to be written every morning at 7 AM, just for me. 3️⃣ This app, called SnapMotion, helps you capture a single frame from a video, and I think that might be handy for some use cases.

📺 YouTube

1️⃣ My first video of 2025 is about using the PARA methodology with Craft. It’s a high-level overview which shows how someone looking for a better way to organize its content inside Craft can apply the PARA method. The video was produced in my new and temporary apartment, so the background is quite different, but I like it. 2️⃣ Miniature making has always fascinated me. This video is about making miniatures for the movie Blade Runner 2049. It is really cool. 3️⃣ I don't want to share an ad for DJI drones, but their latest addition to their lineup, the DJI Flip, is intriguing. Speaking of DJI drones, is it true that the US government is trying to ban them for specific use cases like border surveillance? DJI is a Chinese company, which I didn't know.

💎 Miscellaneous

1️⃣ This week, in a blog post by Manton Reece, I was reminded that the top-level domain “.blog” exists. I wondered if I should get one for “numericcitizen.blog” and if the domain is available. It is. The cost is 20 US$. What should I do with it if I could get my hands on it? It could be redirected to “numericcitizen.me" or “blog.numericcitizen.me”. But I think there is something different that I could do with it. First, let me remind you, dear readers, that I don't mix my digital life with my personal or professional life (just like I didn't have colleagues or Facebook friends). It means my colleagues or friends don't know much about “numericcitizen” or anything related. Also, I always write in English; if people around me knew about my digital presence, reading my blog in English would not work well for them as 99% of my friends and colleagues are French Canadian. What if I had a dedicated Internet corner where I could write in my native language, totally isolated from my other stuff, away from Facebook or other silos, but accessible to those who know the link? I decided to go ahead and buy a French domain name and open a Micro.one account for it. My initial “Hello World” post is online. I’m still thinking about what’s coming next, so stay tuned for more details.

🔮 Looking forward

1️⃣ Ordered this mechanical keyboard from Keychron, and I can't wait to try it out! I love Apple keyboards, but that one seems really lovely, from the look to the sound of typing on it. I think it will be a good fit for my home office desk. This video briefly mentions it. Not exactly cheap, though. Some people are enjoying it. The thing that I'm really excited about is the sound of the keys, I don’t trust the videos to be good enough to reflect reality.

I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦