2024-12-16 11:25:51
GoodLinks is a dual purpose app which serves two critical functions to me : Read later and Link saving. GoodLinks is a universal purchase for Mac OS, iPad OS and iOS costing $9.99. The version 2.0 and later has a hybrid business model with base app costing $ 9.99 and optional yearly subscription of $4.99. The good thing about the subscription is you get to keep the features released during the subscription. Also the first year of updates is included when you purchase the app.
Saving into GoodLinks
GoodLinks has a browser extension for Safari and Chrome. The important thing is that the extension works without the app running. This means that if you’re browsing in Safari and encounter an article that you want to read, you can click the browser extension and it saves it into GoodLinks.
Saving on Windows PC is also supported. After installing the Chrome extension on Windows and logging into your Apple ID. One click saving works on windows. This is a critical as it allows me to save the links I encounter at work for triage later.
Clean Reading Experience
I am particularly pleased with the clean reading experience the app offers. After saving the link from Safari or Share sheet, the app downloads the article when you open the app. It also does this in the background if you have it running.
Logging into Websites
Another strength of the app is downloading paywalled articles. The App has a feature to log into websites and it stores the token to retrieve paywalled articles. I do most of my reading into my RSS app (Readkit) or GoodLinks. This is particularly handy when you’re browsing and come across a long read and want to read that later. It also has no ads in between reading.
To conclude this app works particularly well for me and the business model is quite well done. The model of keeping the features you have unlocked resonates with me where I can see that my money is being spent on improving the app and if I don’t find that the app has enough new features, I don’t subscribe.
2024-12-12 17:44:44
Inspired by Hemisphere Views 126 -You Got a Bonus Popcorn! this is my default apps from late 2024.
1. Mail Client = Apple Mail
2. Mail Server = iCloud with 3 custom domain.
3. Notes = Apple Notes
4. To-Do = Apple Reminders
5. iPhone Photo Shooting = iOS Camera
6. Photo Management = Apple Photos
7. Calendar = Apple Calendar
8. Cloud File Storage = iCloud
9. RSS = Readkit
10. Contacts = Apple Contacts App.
11. Browser = Safari
12. Chat = Whatsapp, iMessage, Signal and FB Messenger.
13. Bookmarks = Safari Bookmarks.
14. Read it Later = Goodlinks
15. Word Processing = Paper Editor
16. Spreadsheets = Numbers and Excel
17. Shopping List = Apple Reminders Shared List
18. Meal Planning = NA
19. Budgeting and Personal Finance = Expenses and Subscriptions
Changed from Outgoings to Subscriptions to keep a track of all subscriptions I pay for.
20. News = RSS + NYT + WSJ + WP + Times of London
21. Music = Apple Music
Changed from Youtube Music to Apple Music
22. Podcasts = Apple Podcasts.
23. Password Management = iCloud Keychain
2024-12-04 11:11:48
If you’re a carry enthusiast like me, you would know GoRuck, if you’re not then GoRuck (GR) are one of the best bag makers in the world. There is a cult-like following with them and as per the reviews their flagship bag GR1 is one of the best in the market and I mostly agree with one caviat.
But, they did make a change around 2021-2022 where the strap previously made of Cordura 1000 (1000D )was changed to Cordura 210 (210D). This change was made partially due to the 1000D ripping through merinow wool T-Shirts. Some people swear that they will never buy the new version.
My friends always recommended me to try this bag out and try to buy the old version (1000D). After many false starts and an online purchase falling through. I picked up the GR1 21L in 1000D.
First of the bat, this bag carries lot better than what I have previously used. You can actually carry a good amount of weight on your back and its still quite comfortable. I actually quite liked the 1000D and the straps are quite beefy. This bag also has a bomb proof laptop compartment, I am not sure how they tested that.
There is one thing however I have to point out. At this time of the year, Australia is quite hot. Its summer here and this bag doesn’t allow air to move between itself and your back. This creates tons of sweat in your back and also transfers heat on your body.
Overall, fantastic bag which would probably last me a good while and they have a fantastic warranty. This one is a winner in my eyes.
2024-10-22 09:56:36
Some people don’t know why they collect sport jersies but that’s not the case with me. I am a jersey collector for the teams I support every season or major tournament. This is the theme of my jersey collection as of 2024. I don’t know whether its going to change in future but its unlikely.
I have a distinct passion for collecting sports jersies and they remind me of watching the team and remembering a particular point of time in the past. This was born out in 2001 when I first watched Manchester United and fell in love with the team.
And yes I wear them all.
Manchester United (2001 – Current)
I have a jersey for every year I have watched Manchester United and this is the main focus of my collection. It was an expensive process to get jerseys from early 2000’s but worth it in the end. Some picture’s below :
Germany Football Team (2006- Current)
The 2006 Football world cup was the first major tournament I followed closely, I had previously seen the 2002 but was not emotionally attached the it. Since that world cup, I fell in love with the German Football team. This part of my collection has quite a few pieces missing and I am trying to find the older ones but they’re generally very expensive. Some picture’s below :
Sydney FC and Socceroos 2022 onwards
I started following these local teams since the 2022 World Cup but I am yet to collect the find them on good prices yet.
I expect to grow my collection this year and early next year to fix the missing pieces as there are quite a few gaps in my collection at this time.
2024-04-30 13:15:44
One of the lesser known features of iCloud Plus (Paid iCloud plans) is to manager email inside Apple Mail. If you pay for iCloud storage which stats at 50GB a month or 1.5 Aud a month, you get iCloud plus.
iCloud+ with custom email domain allows 5 custom domains connected per person in the family group and you can have 3 different email address per domain per person. Yes the amount of email address is quite low per domain however it’s a great solution for low email needs.
You will need to go to iCloud.com and add a custom domain in your iCloud+ features tab. You will then need to make changes at your domain provider which is simple enough. Once done, you can add the email address for those custom domains and you will receive them in Apple Mail.
So if you have low email needs, it might be worth checking out this solution instead of paying for another service.
2024-04-29 15:42:02
Today I am focussing on one of the my most used apps on Mac and recently it has also launched on iPhone. The app is Soulver. As the developers say its Notepad meets Calculator. When you open the app there is a blank sheet and you can write your queries and it has a side pane for displaying results. The developer has a getting started guide and there are many examples on the dev’s website.
I personally use the app for shopping (109 – 25%) gives me the price of discounted goods, plan my upcoming expenses on trips in foreign currency and keep a track of spending when with multiple people. The app also allows you to send the mathematical calculations to a friend which they can view or print in an each to understand function which is helpful if you’re navigating budget allocation between multiple people.
The app is a separate purchase on Mac, iPad and iPhone with prices 35, 20 and 14 USD respectively. You can purchase for the platforms you want or buy them all like I did.
