An Arc browser boost for a better Twitter experience
There are still a few people that I want to hear from that have not (yet) left Twitter, so I visit Twitter maybe once a day. Andy Bell posted the following “Boost” for the Arc browser:
[aria-label="Trending"],
[aria-label="Search and explore"],
[aria-label="Twitter Blue"],
[data-testid="DMDrawerHeader"],
[href*="promote"] {
display: none !important;
}It takes about 10 seconds to add new boosts like the above.
I dislike Twitter, but I love Arc. Now Twitter doesn’t suck as much.
A fix for backlink display with Org-roam and Doom Emacs
I’ve been tracking an issue with the way backlinks are displayed that affects my use of Org-roam. Someone (hwiorn) finally discovered a workaround when using Doom Emacs: delete the compiled version of org-roam-utils. Like this:
rm .config/emacs/.local/straight/build-*/org-roam/org-roam-utils.elcNow my links show up correctly. Finally! I’ll probably need to delete the file every time I sync or update but I don’t care as long as there’s a fix. It was driving me nuts.
UPDATE: And a few hours later, it was fixed for good in this commit.
Using jAlbum for photo galleries
The jAlbum UI
I’ve been a Flickr user since 2004 and a SmugMug user for nearly as long. For some reason, I prefer looking at my photos via online galleries rather than, say, my Photos library, and both Flickr and SmugMug have helped me do that.
I’ve also kept standalone static web galleries for the odd side project, such as a memorial to my dog Leeloo. Recently, I’ve been creating more of these, so I started looking for easier or better ways of generating static web galleries from a selection of photos. There are what feels like a thousand options. Everything from giant GUI apps to the nerdiest little command line utilities.
After looking around a bit, I’ve settled on jAlbum. I didn’t expect to like it. After all, it’s from that time (2004) when software was named so that everyone knew what it was written in. And I developed an allergy to Java not long after that. Go figure!
jAlbum is surprisingly robust and capable, while still being simple to use. The defaults are mostly fine, but it lets me tweak the dickens out of it, should I want to.
I’ve only spent the morning with it, but I have created some initial galleries at static.baty.net/photos. I think it already looks fine, and I haven’t even begun to tweak it.
jAlbum has built-in (S)FTP capability for automating the process of getting everything out to my server, but it doesn’t support ssh keys so I can’t use that. I’m instead using rsync via a tiny Makefile, so all I need to do is type make and the changes are deployed.
Everything is here now
UPDATE a better title would now be “Everything was here now”, as the blog is now running on Blot.im.
I’m perfectly aware that the following may only be true for like 18 hours, but…
I’m only posting here on Baty.net using WordPress. No daily site, no wiki. Everything I write is going here. I dislike using WordPress, but it has everything I need. And I don’t honestly spend that much time actually writing. It’s fine.
My daily journal posts are excluded from the home page, but are included in the RSS feed or directly via baty.net/journal (that will redirect to /topics/journal/ for now). I would like to include today’s journal post on the home page, but I don’t know enough about WordPress to make that happen yet.
I was so sick of thinking about Tinderbox vs Hugo vs Eleventy vs TiddlyWiki for my daily notes this morning that I routed around all of them and landed here. Let’s see if it sticks.
Narrator: “It didn’t”
Leica SL2
The Leica SL2 felt inevitable. After an almost accidental run with the Panasonic S5, which I didn’t enjoy at all, I tried going back to the Fuji system. I’ve always liked Fujifilm cameras and their classic control layout. I purchased a new X-T5 and a few nice lenses late last year, but it didn’t grow on me. The X-T5 is a great camera and I had nothing to complain about. Except it just didn’t give me The Feels. Not the way, say, a Leica does.
I decided that I wasn’t going to be satisfied until I was back with Leica for my digital camera. My heart wanted me to buy another M10-R but we all know how that turns out.
A project I’ve had on the back burner for a couple of years is shooting formal portraits of my extended family. I’d like to get started on that, so I thought I’d move toward a more flexible mirrorless system and decided this was a good time to move to an SL2.
I’ve owned the lower-resolution SL2-S before, and it was fantastic. At the time, I was more interested in digital black and white, so I traded the SL2-S for a Q2 Monochrom. That was fun for a while, but this time I need to be more practical, so I opted for the 47 Megapixel SL2.
The moment I picked up the SL2 I knew I’d done the right thing, and promptly forgot about the price. The SL2 is dense, heavy, solid, and feels perfect in hand. And most importantly, it gives me The Feels.
I no longer have any native Leica L-mount lenses, but I do have a couple of very good Sigma lenses: The 35mm f2.0 DG DN “Contemporary” and the amazing 85mm f1.4 “Art” lens. I also intend to spend a lot of time with my Leica M lenses mounted via the Leica M-Adapter L. The SL2’s viewfinder is second to none and, with focus peaking, makes using manual focus lenses as easy as it gets.
Now it’s up to me to go do something with it.
Obligatory first shot with new camera
Taking notes while reading
Reading notes for ’Why People Photograph
In a recent post, My Antinet and Barthes’ “Camera Lucida”, I wrote about having shelves filled with books that I remember nothing about. Seems like a waste, no?
Writing notes (by hand) while reading new books has completely changed the way I read and I am finding many benefits: More deliberate consumption, better recall, and a physical residue of the things I’ve read.
As I read, I find myself looking for things to “keep”. I write brief keywords, quotes, and short phrases as references on index cards. After completing a book, I re-read the notes and, if something triggers further interest, I re-visit the referenced pages and make longer notes on separate cards. Lots of people do something similar, but this is what I do and it’s been a great help.
(I know this is all very “Zettelkasten-ey”, but I’m trying to avoid using trendy, sound-smart words for what’s basically just a box of notes.)
Sold: Leica M6
Leica M6
Long story, short, I sold my precious Leica M6 (Classic). I could no longer justify having two modern Leica M cameras, so I decided to keep the beautiful MP and pass the M6 on to someone else. I’m sure I’ll regret this. (It’s the second time the camera has been sold, but the previous buyer returned it, for spurious reasons). Onward!
Here’s the final frame I shot with the camera:
Self-portrait in mirror, Leica M6
Using tags for org-refile-targets
Today I learned that I can use tags in Org files as a filter for org-refile-targets. My refile targets are mapped to org-agenda-files but limit them to only top-level headings in order to keep the list under control. Once in a while, though, I would like to make a more deeply nested heading available for refiling. I can do this by using (:tag . "refile"). Who knew?!
(setq org-refile-targets '((org-agenda-files :maxlevel . 1)
(org-agenda-files :tag . "refile")))Are there really only three things to photograph?
There are always cameras loaded with film scattered around my house. I don’t go out much, so sometimes I’ll pick up a camera and take a random photo just for the feel of it and to use up some film. These photos are almost always one of three things: Myself, my dog, or my desk/workspace.
Case in point, I recently finished the roll that’s been languishing in the M6 by taking the following mirror self-portrait.
Self-portrait in mirror. Leica M6/50mm Summilux/HP5
I actually like the photo. It’s playful and well-executed overall. But the rest of the roll? It’s chock full of shitty mirror self-portraits and random dog and workspace photos. I really do need to get out more.
