sanlive.com

Look what I forgot to publish lol

2025-11-17T05:00:00Z

Sooooo, I totally had a feed update to publish back in February and did nothing. And now I have more new stuff, so here goes 😆

New thinkylinks, some of which I am still thinking about.

Updated the booklog, but it’s out of date again. This is the downside of keeping my actual booklog in a paper notebook. I love it so much, but yes, it does mean having to remember to type up a copy for this site. I’m debating the merits of sharing all this – perhaps it’s worth only sharing the books I’d call notable or have affected me in non-trivial ways?

A little info about my Obsidian to 11ty workflow with a local build, in case any other indie/smolweb folks need to compare notes.

And a shellscript for publishing to Cloudflare Pages while cleaning up after yourself for any other indie/smolweb folks who cbf with python scripts and server-side builds and Github stuff.

Soft Signal has been active again, but the emails haven’t been archived. Maybe it’s time to bite the bullet and set up the archiving feature on my email provider platform. Let me think on it.

Writing updates: I have a new book out. It’s a little novelette-sized banger about a time traveller going rogue. Contact me if you wanna know where to find it.

Finally, here’s what I’m doing now.

My updates feed is a liar

2024-05-17T08:52:42Z

My updates feed is a liar. I’ve actually been making several tiny updates since last September, just none worth pushing out a full feed item for. A bunch of thought-provoking articles are now in thinkylinks and a handful of new books in my booklog.

A new issue of Soft Signal is coming on Tuesday, so make sure you’ve subscribed if you want it in your inbox. Alternatively, the web version will be accessible from the archive whenever I get around to adding it.

My novel launch was sooo much fun, and I was so stoked about my nears, dears and new friends turning up to celebrate with me. If you'd like to know more about what I’m up to in my no-longer-a-secret other life, just HMU over email.

Finally, here’s what I’m doing /now.

10 thinkylinks, /now update, and a mini catchup

2023-09-20T13:28:42Z

Hello, yes it's been two months since the last update, and yes I'm still alive.

My novel officially launches at the end of this week! Hit me up for details if you're curious, but suffice to say I couldn't be more stoked and nervous. This project is the reason both Soft Signal and general updates around here went on the backburner, but my feet are gradually touching down upon normality.

I've added 10 new thinkylinks covering a variety of topics I've found interesting, though I seem to have misplaced a heap more interesting bookmarks from the last few weeks. There may be more links coming once I figure out where they went.

Some more books in the booklog, though no new booknotes.

Also updated my /now page for the first time in ages.

Archives for Soft Signal

2023-07-09T12:57:42Z

There's been quite a few updates lately.

First, Soft Signal now has archives — yay! I've been hesitant to use the automatic archiving system provided by my email newsletter platform. They're lovely, but I've just run into so many situations where content and data is effectively "stuck" in systems controlled by other people. Which means it's a pain in the bum if I ever need to change systems.

This, by the way, is the reason the archives don't include the very first few issues sent out in 2016 (or was it 2015?). Those were archived on Mailchimp and went away when I switched newsletter platforms. However, everything sent from 2022 onward should be there for your reading enjoyment. At some point, there will be an RSS feed for those who prefer following stuff that way, finally undoing all the hard work I did getting rid of my blog 🫠

The booklog has had another update — a big one this time, as I've been reading so many good books. It's halfway through the year and I've already read 31 books, which is more than double what I used to read when I was actually trying to hit targets. Getting off social media helped a lot with this (as I used a habit replacement technique to jumpstart a reading habit), and then switching to physical books seems to have accelerated things. I don't say this to brag, I'm just surprised what a difference it's made considering just two years ago, I wondered if I might have lost that old childhood ability to immerse in a book.

I've jotted some booknotes for a great book on managing energy instead of time, which was compelling and compatible with slow productivity theory, which I am so excited to read the book for.

I stumbled upon a cool silly game called Sandtrix (sand tetris). It sells for a "name your own price", but you can also play in your web browser.

New additions to thinkylinks, but not many because books have taken over my life lately.

There's a lot I've been wanting to write about, but haven't had much of a chance as the manuscript I'm working on is now in its crunch phase before release. You might not hear from me for some time.

Why my website is so plain

2023-06-17T15:54:38Z

I know my website is plain, probably kind of ugly and boring too, but that's how I like it. I can read it in my text-only browser without too much trouble, although some pages could do with a bit more work. This isn't the only reason I keep things fairly primitive around here. You can read little notes on my big three drivers here:

Why my website is so plain

More books have been added to the booklog. My life is a salad of words from many different sources right now.

Updated my planning stack for 2023

2023-04-30T21:08:42Z

A long overdue update to my planning stack for 2023. I guess you could say I wanted to make sure these changes would stick before documenting them.

Also updated the booklog with April's reads, added some new thinkylinks (the one about AI and the American smile seems worth paying attention to), and updated my now page.

Text playlist and a digital minimalism update

2023-03-19T19:37:42Z

Created a text playlist, a collection of articles I come back to for inspiration and reminding. My playlist was inspired by Scott Nesbitt. If you make a text playlist on your site, share it with me so I can check it out too!

My digital minimalism write-up got an update to reflect what my 2023 is looking like. Tl;dr: it's looking more like something I'm happy with. I've been going to bed without my phone lately too — will tell you more about it in soft signal when I get a chance.

Oh yeah, also added a very thought-provoking thinkylink about the "culture of uncare" — the mechanisms underpinning why we're kind of trapped in this lifestyle even when we know it's destroying the planet. It's a 6000-word long article, but there were no boring bits. Every paragraph went off like a silent bomb, and yet it was unexpectedly empowering in a "now you see the puppet strings, get your scissors out" kind of way.

Aaaand my now page was recently updated.

Hello, Fediverse

2023-02-24T17:32:42Z

sanlive.com should now be discoverable on the Fediverse. Having attempted to DIY this from scratch, I'm instead using a service called Bridgy Fed. It's pretty neat. They do Webmentions too, so your homegrown website can be connected to other homegrown websites in a sort of loose independent decentralised form of social media.

Soft plastics stuff

2023-02-13T12:43:43Z

Notes on soft plastics recycling in Australia, including an email template for West Aussies hoping to get their employers to take action.

Now page also has a tiny update.

My first booknote: Sunburnt Country

2023-02-03T12:43:43Z

In an effort to more effectively consolidate the stuff I learn, here's my first published set of notes on a book I've read.

Booknotes: Sunburnt Country by Joelle Gergis

This book was among my "5 books of stupid"* about climate change. Although it assumes the reader is already familiar with certain concepts, terminology and events, I still got a fair whack of background into how climate change relates specifically to those of us living in Australia.

(* This is a reference to advice given in The Art of Impossible by Steven Kotler. Really, it would be more accurate and less ableist to call it "5 books of ignorant".)

I hope to share more booknotes over time. Don't hold me to this ^__^; We don't know what the future holds!

Now page also updated.

Slow productivity, RSS, and new thinkylinks

2023-01-25T17:08:08Z

Swamp things:

New page: Slow productivity
New page: RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
Moar: Thinkylinks

Thinkylinks, booklog and Now page

2022-12-16T17:01:42Z

There are lots of new thinkylinks available for your reading pleasure.

I finished a disturbing dystopian novella that I'll link to in tomorrow's Soft Signal.

And the /now page has been updated.

In case we don't chat before the holidays, have a lovely Christmas and new year!

Added a lot of thinkylinks. Like, a lot.

2022-11-06T20:35:42Z

I've been reading a lot lately. More than I've been writing, since the bulk of my meagre writing time right now is taken up by work and admin. We are also caring for a deaf cat, which is equal parts endearing, frustrating and sad, because it reminds us that she's getting on in years.

Anyway, a heap of new thinkylinks abound.

Permacomputing and Morning Pages

2022-10-25T01:30:42Z

Added a brief write-up on permacomputing and shared a bit of
my morning writing routine.

Also added a few more thinkylinks.

Moonlighting as a fiction author

2022-10-13T23:10:18Z

Shared a bit about moonlighting as a fiction author, originally shared via Soft Signal. Added new thinkylinks and a page for articles about worklife.

Added a new book to the booklog and updated my Now page.

Updated thinkylinks and now page

2022-10-01T22:26:49Z

Just smol updates. Added new thinkylinks and updated my Now page.

The blog is gone

2022-09-12T03:03:03Z

The blog has been purged. You'll find any remnants of content scattered across the site in a more topical (rather than time-dependent) fashion. Apologies if most of it seems incomplete. I plan to flesh stuff out gradually over time.

If you'd like to keep up with my "blog-like" writings, Soft Signal is very much active and readable.

Some new pages have been added: Memory Lane, Writing, Body, and Movies.

Housekeeping and new + old thinkylinks

2022-09-10T23:40:30Z

Added some thinkylinks — a few new ones and a couple old ones yoinked from retired blog posts.

Added a page for writings about nerd stuff

2022-09-01T21:23:17Z

Added a page for my writings about nerd stuff and migrated some blog content to the gardening page. Moved Monkey with a paintbrush to art.

Also added thinkylinks and I'm sorry for the gopher items in there. I'm still trying to figure out how to keep the proper link and get my site generator render a proxied one.

If the titles pique your interest (and I promise they are interesting reads), copy the URL and head to FloodGap, click on "Standard Version" and paste the link in the form field. Congratulations on becoming bit more nerdy today :)

Updated info on the rights & collabs as I'm releasing images under CC-BY-SA.

A shiny new retro sanlive

2022-08-25T22:55:33Z

sanlive.com has a fresh new design. And by "new", I mean old. I miss the old days, the lo-fi days, the visually quiet days of text-based and content-first. I hope you like ASCII art as much as I do.

The psychological toll of book clubs

2022-08-23T22:10:30Z

The psychological toll of book clubs has been migrated from the blog to its own page on sapience.

I've also added a linkroll.opml, which is hopefully human-readable, though I'm getting mixed results in my browser. There's also a new page for lo-fi browser games I don't want to lose sight of.

Swapped out the image backgrounds for ASCII art across the site. Herman Martinus points out that a whole novel clocks in at only 500kb of text and there I was shoving the equivalent quantity of JPG pixels through your internet tubes. The "bloated web" is on my mind of late, along with other technological trifles.

And here's what I'm up to now.

7 new thinkylinks

2022-08-16T00:44:12Z

Added 7 new links that made me think. You may recognise a couple of them from this month's Soft Signal email.

I've also been tinkering with page footers to improve interlinking.

Added stuff about fountain pens and greyscale

2022-08-03T09:53:48Z

Professing my love for fountain pens and devices set to greyscale.

Started migrating stuff about soap from the blog

2022-07-30T23:54:38Z

I've started migration my soapmaking content from the blog. It'll all be collated on its own soapmaking page.

Also updated the background image to give the site a vibe more becoming of a mind swamp. Added a new book to the booklog and updated my Now page.

My planning stack

2022-07-21T02:10:23Z

I've added my planning stack because I'm so in love with stationery and writing instruments. Also added some books to desocial and digitalminimalism in case you happen to embark on a journey too.

Added thinkylinks, books read, and updated my now page

2022-07-15T02:10:23Z

Added a bunch of thinkylinks. Special shout-out to the one about everyone being beautiful but not horny. Very vibe. So thoughts.

Added a couple of titles to the book log. Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke was very interesting, especially the psychological and socio-economic factors that create fertile grounds for addiction to form.

My Now page has also been updated. I've struggled with withdrawal-like anxiety, but aerial silks is fun, and my client's book is now available for purchase.

Added some notes on digital minimalism

2022-06-10T22:57:23Z

Added some notes on digital minimalism, essentially where I'm at with it and a few tips I've seen around the place. Don't get me wrong, I'm still very tech-engaged, but shifting from "device as toy" to "device as tool" has helped me regain control over my digital life.

There's a heaps of new thinkylinks. The one that blew my mind the most was the dark history behind my favourite Chinese New Year song. It's basically our culture's version of Auld Lang Syne and memorialises a devastating period in Chinese history that still exists in living memory.

I've also updated my Now page with more recent goings on, including the newly opened pre-order for a book I've been working on with a client.

Brought betalunaris back home

2022-05-27T22:57:23Z

I haven't touched [betalunaris](https://sanlive.com/betalunaris in a long time, and despite bringing it in from the cold Twitterscape, I'm not sure when I'll get to work on it again. But it's here now, safe and sound for the time being.

A few more blog posts have been migrated out. The one in particular that made me smile to look at was the best thank you letter from a stationery shop in Japan in 2014. It now lives in a delights catalogue, which I hope to expand over time.

There's a new thinkylink about walking in two worlds.

And my Now page has had a little tweak.

Added links and a new book

2022-05-15T12:57:23Z

Added a few more links that made me think. The one about pop culture is swirling around in my head, especially after seeing a couple of movies at the Spanish Film Festival recently. It's those quirky non-blockbuster films that'll give you nuanced perspectives and interesting twists and narratives. I like it a lot.

I've also just finished Time Was by Ian McDonald. It's been added to my book log. What a lovely book. Beautifully written, hauntingly good; every other chapter was giving me shivers. Very hard to put down after you get through the first third of it.

Other updates:

Now page
Moved my pressed plant specimens from the blog to the garden section

Collated our pumpkin adventure

2022-04-29T11:40:23Z

There's a page dedicated to our pumpkin adventure now. Sorry I don't have a rude video of t3h punk1n s3x0rz. It was purged with the great IG delete of 2022.

Updated the gardening page

2022-04-26T00:34:23Z

Updated the gardening page.

And the animals page.

And hauled together the digital postcarden.

There's also a little something on drink infusions.

Retired old posts too.

Oh! And here's something cool... there's a version of Markdown specifically for writing recipes. It's called Cooklang.

Retired lots of old content

2022-04-25T00:34:23Z

Retired and/or migrated lots of old content.

Added a page with stuff about skincare.

Updated the gardening page.

There's new stuff in the thinky links too. All worth reading!

The homepage looks tidy again

2022-04-24T15:57:23Z

The homepage looks tidy again! Lots of stuff has been moved around.

There's now a page about sapience to bring together content of that ilk.

The iTerm theme has been moved to a download page.

Animal-related content is now on an animals page.

Deleted old content no longer relevant or interesting. Sorry for the 404!