Mostly final desk setup, shown here during a video conference we were both attending (on the iPad). The room looks mostly the same, except it has real curtains now and more stuff on the shelves. And we don’t use it nearly as often—we’re in the office …
Reading
How to Take Smart Notes
Sönke Ahrens
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Our other early-COVID desk, set up not in the office but the guest bedroom. Like everyone else, my wife and I spent too much time on videoconferences to sit in the same room, so we were fortunate to have space to spread out like this. Same monitor, …
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Standing desk evolution, a few weeks in COVID. At this point, we still had the blinds open to remind us what “outside” looked like. It still kind of felt like vacation, not yet like the terrifying pandemic it turned out to be. (It did, and still …
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Our home office desk before COVID. Made of an old kitchen table and K’nex, naturally. 📸
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Day three of desk pictures. This one is an actual working desk of mine from my first apartment in San Antonio after grad school. It looks so much like my grad school desk in my Blackburg apartment I first guessed that’s what it was before …
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travel
Yesterday’s desk post made me think of other interesting writing desks I’ve encountered.
This one is from our house in Sóller, Majorca, Spain, from November 2021.
An iPad instead of a MacBook because this was a vacation, not a business trip.
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travel
My workspace at Hotel Bellevue in Cazaubon, France, a few weeks ago. I love the aesthetic, but it made me feel like I should be writing a novel instead of PowerPoint slides. 📸
Cleaning out and backing up my college/grad school MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2008), and the nostalgia is strong in this one.
Sure, its 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo isn’t that impressive, and neither is its 4GB of DDR2 or 256GB GeForce 8600M, but it is weirdly …
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travel
In Corpus Christi for Rio Texas Annual Conference. Tried out Railroad Brewing Company right by the convention center. 📸
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Felt bad that I didn’t get much done yesterday, so this picture is to remind me of what I did finish this weekend. Let’s get the short week started strong. 📸
books
Finished reading: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Slow start for an amazing ending. Fun wordplay and enough mystery to hunt down the sequel. 📚
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Pro tip: when the sky looks like this, the best time to leave work was half an hour ago. 📸
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Finished reading: The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson. A fun, quick read. Pretty un-Sanderson. Seems like he was experimenting with style, similar to Tress, just not in the Cosmere. 📚
books
Finished reading: Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett. Like “Pyramids”, an excuse for Pratchett to make a billion pop culture jokes in a row. Tons of fun. 📚
Finished watching: Hidden Figures. I’m so glad this movie exists. Epic women I’ve looked up to forever, especially Katherine Johnson, and now other people will know about them too. Not a movie for nerds—it’s about people and society and space, not …
books
Finished reading: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. Wow, what a fun novel. I had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen. Definitely better than her Uprooted. Thanks to @jsonbecker for saying exactly that and giving me the …
books
Finished reading: The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. I’ve never read a book so full of hints but so devoid of answers. Also with such a powerful, but dumb, protagonist. I want Denna’s story so badly… which I guess puts me in good …
books
Finished reading: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Late to the party on this one. One of the most beautiful fantasy books I’ve ever read. Incredible command of language and myth and character. Also frustrating; I knew that going in, but I …
books
Finished reading: Eric by Terry Pratchett. Just fun. Less effort than previous books, but more entertaining. Plus: Rincewind! Only problem is it’s very very short. 📚
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Finished reading: League of Dragons by Naomi Novik. Probably my favorite of these, which is nice because it’s last. Pacing worked out, some growth arcs concluded, and the inevitable future is hinted but not written. 📚
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Finished reading: Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik. I will never get used to the pacing of these books; and especially the ridiculously abrupt endings. Not even cliffhangers, just endings. 📚
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Finished reading: Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik. Fantastic adventure in the Andes devolves to more boring British politics by the end. Novik loves the history of the Napoleonic wars too much, and it weakens the stories. 📚
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Finished reading: Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik. Unexpectedly appropriate for my long layover in Sydney. I like Laurence better as an explorer than soldier. More adventure, less British politics. 📚
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Finished reading: Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik. Pacing finally feels good, and as a result I enjoyed this one more than the previous four. Feels like the world is changing, which is fun to watch. 📚
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Finished reading: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. Tremendous effort and tons of fun. Lots of Cosmere elements together, and the joy of Hoid everywhere. I just wish he hadn’t tried so hard to sound like Terry Pratchett. (Recommended by …