Sunday Endorsement – 31.05.2020

May 31, 2020
5 min read

📱 Tot Pocket

I was very skeptical at first. I mean, who wouldn’t be – €21.99 for a very limited note taking app. But after much consideration and keeping in mind the possibility to refund (yay Europe) I decided to give it a try. I’ve been trying to find an easy to use note app for a long time and nothing could come close to what I wanted. Notes.app was where I kept all my notes and didn’t feel like simple jotting app, I’ve tried Bear for a year, but it just replaced Notes and I never was a Markdown fan, I wanted something with rich text support. Drafts came close, but I always felt overwhelmed by it and after a week there would be tens of notes which I couldn’t remember what they were about.

Tot is light, colorful (it even changes the color of keyboard to match the dot and what surprised me most – even 3rd party keyboards get colored). I didn’t like icon at first, but recently they’ve added Mobius, which is now my favorite. I use all but one dots for something already and love it.

One disclaimer I have to add – I’ve had a data loss with the app. Just yesterday I was walking around town, listening to the audiobook and adding some notes, including citations I’ve transcribed myself. When I came home and opened an app – there was nothing. Just one word I’ve put as a placeholder when I created the note. And now I can’t shake the feeling of distrust. I hope it was a one time thing, but I’m not sure when I will be able to trust the application fully again.

I can’t recommend an app costing €21.99 to everyone, but if you look at screenshots and read the description you will know if the app is right for you. It is for me.

đź“ş Drive To Survive – Season 2

“Netflix are a bunch of cunts, aren’t they? I would love for them to play that.”

At the beginning of the season two they immediately let you know – this time it’s bigger, we have Mercedes and Ferrari now, but that somehow ruins it a bit. It became more pristine. The most controversial things were mostly when drivers and principals mentioned the documentary or Netflix.

But I still would recommend watching it. And I feel like it is much more interesting to those who have never watched F1, because otherwise you would already know what happened.

One additional note – I was the victim of advertising. After watching the show I went for a walk and had such a strong desire for a Red Bull I went to the store and bought one. Marketing works.

đź“ś Stratechery – The Google Squeeze

Half a year old article, but still very interesting. I never though how much advertising there is on Google. The screenshot which shows the results, where you have to scroll 3 pages in order to get to the organic results is worth the read alone.

I’ve compared the article with my own usage and it is the same in some instances and completely different in others. I hate the hotel module of Google. It always feels like some shitty websites want to give you a very bad deal. When I’m looking for a hotel I always go to booking.com. Always. And, as it turns out, that’s what they’ve tried to do – incentivize people to go straight to them. I guess it works.

⌚️ Pride California Watch Face

With the most recent update of the Apple Watch there are a couple of new Pride watch faces. One of them is California with Pride colors. It is my favorite watch face right now. I’ve been meaning to write about watch faces and how they all are bad for some reason or other. There are customizations, but it always feels like there could be more. But in terms of look – this one is just amazing.

One note – the process was a bit cumbersome. I had newest update on my Apple Watch, but new colors weren’t there. I updated my iPhone to iOS 13.5 and could choose a new California color, but it wouldn’t show up on my Watch. Only after restarting the watch did it work.

đź“š Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

I’ve laughed a couple of times while listening to the book. It is probably the best memoir by a businessman I have ever read. It is more about motivation and drive and less about the decisions themselves. I’m sure that in order to build such a monumental company there have to be more controversial stories, but this book is not the place for them.

Ending is just beautiful. The book itself is very personal, but ending takes it to the new level. I didn’t want for it to end. One of the strongest recommendations I can give. Everyone should read it.

[TV Show] Drive To Survive – Season 1

May 23, 2020
3 min read

I’ve never been a fan of F1. I’ve heard a lot that the cars are becoming more and more the same, so I couldn’t understand why would anyone watch the same cars go around the circuit. But after watching The Last Dance, I’ve decided to pick up another sport related documentary. And I now can say I was wrong. The cars are not the same, they do look similar, but there is a lot of room in engine choice and its calibration. Drivers are very different, with individual talents and styles. And as it turns out, what happens between the races, sometimes can be even more interesting. It’s like a soap opera.

What stood out the most comparing to The Last Dance – the access. Sure there you had all the major players from that time, but it was about the past, people are more open, at least 20 years had passed since those events and nobody from them plays anymore. Here, it is a series about current events and it is really astonishing what the drivers and team principals were saying, considering they see each other at work after the show airs.

The absence of two top teams was very notable. It’s like, yeah, we here grownups are racing and winning and you – afterthoughts. can have your silly documentary.

The F1 itself is a very interesting sport. There are competing teams, but that absolutely doesn’t mean the drivers work together. It is probably the most individual out of team sports. It happens, when two drivers from the same team crash into each other in battling for position. This is madness in close to any team sport, but not unthinkable in the F1.

It is a team sport in regard to mechanics. You can be the most amazing driver in the most powerful car, but when you stop in the pit and a mechanic doesn’t tighten the screw properly, you can finish the race early because of that, unbelievable. Imagine Michael Jordan not finishing the match because a guy doesn’t lace his shoes properly.

“To finish first, first you have to finish”

Regarding documentary itself, it was a bit too focused on drama. You see all the crashes, stops and loses of the drivers and after that you realize the team is in a third place. So it wasn’t all so bad, wasn’t it? As of right now, I am looking forward to the F1 season resuming, I want to watch races. Didn’t choose which driver to support yet, will have to take a look at the whole race. Which is my main concern right now – sure, I’ve enjoyed watching highlights from the whole season, but would the 2 hour race be as enjoyable to watch?