I’m Still Digging Kagi

I just paid my monthly Kagi subscription and I’m reminded of how much I like this web search service. If you’re unfamiliar with it, Kagi is a search engine with no advertising. I’ve used it in place of Google search for most of this year, and when I occasionally stumble into a Google search, I’m shocked at how bad it looks and how much I prefer Kagi. In the most recent update, they’ve now started labeling artificial intelligence-generated images as AI in their image search. I know many folks are anti-subscription, and it seems silly to pay for a search engine, but if you search a lot, it sure is nice having one more concerned with giving you good results than selling ads.

A page from search engine Kagi showing results from a ‘macsparky’ search.
I’m still using Kagi as my search engine

I also just discovered that the same company that makes Kagi makes an accompanying web browser called Orion. I haven’t spent any time with it, but if you like Kagi, you may want to go check out their browser as well.

The bigger question for me is whether or not I’ll want any search engine in the near future as artificial intelligence gets better at bringing back results instead of a list of websites.

Focused 215: The Sparkly Language Model

Mike and I revisit the topic of AI on this episode of Focused to consider what’s changed in the last year and discuss how it can be helpful for those of us who strive to live a focused life.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

  • Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free.
  • ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free.
  • Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast.

NotePlan Auto-Templates

Recently, NotePlan released version 3.14, which includes the ability to auto-generate templates based on the calendar item. I note this because I requested this specific feature when we discussed NotePlan recently on the Mac Power Users. NotePlan continues to impress me.

Since we aired that episode, I’ve heard from many listeners who have adopted the app and are enjoying it. Here are just a few things I like about NotePlan:

  • The data format is plain text using Markdown syntax saved to your local drive, just like Obsidian.
  • A one-man developer team actively develops it. Over the years, he’s proven his dedication to the app and willingness to tackle significant feature additions.
  • It’s a native app on all the Apple platforms.

To me, NotePlan lies somewhere between Obsidian and Apple Notes. It’s closer to Obsidian in implementation but has fewer customization options.

When I set up my 2025 technology stack, I’m going to be looking very closely at this application.

Lessons from An Ancient Craftsman

Here’s a recent post from the MacSparky Newsletter. If you haven’t already signed up, I’d appreciate it.

Earlier this year, I had a chance to spend time in London, and I made a point to return to the British Museum. Specifically I was interested in the Parthenon pieces. I’ve been in that room before, but I felt like I didn’t experience these artifacts properly.

So this time I spent three hours in the Parthenon room. I studied each piece, I reviewed each placard, I even spent some time reading additional resources concerning those ancient pieces. They have the pieces from the pediments at each end of the room. There are several marble statues that sit atop either side of the building as a sort of three-dimensional mural.

The statues are gorgeous and timeless. For example, Athena’s clothing has the subtlest wrinkles. I can’t imagine the effort it took to make them from marble. Interestingly, the British Museum displayed them in a manner that allowed you to walk around the back. I didn’t notice this at first because nobody was walking behind them. Eventually, I found myself meandering around to the back of the room, where you have an excellent view of the backs of these statues.

I wondered what I would see. Would there be the same degree of detail on the backs as there is on the front? As positioned on the building, it would be nearly impossible to see the backs of these statues from the ground. And yet, from afar, they were not blank marble but indeed a continuation. The artists did complete the backs of the statues.

However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that these statues were not finished with the same degree of detail in the back as in the front. The fabric folds are less delicate. The muscle definition is not as refined. In short, that master craftsman, some 2,400 years ago, cut a few corners on the backs of these statues.

Upon discovering this, I felt an overwhelming sense of kinship with that craftsman. Here was somebody at the top of his field, creating art for a building that would still be standing today if not for the fact some knucklehead stored ammunition in the building in 1687. The artist made something for the ages, yet he did less work on the backs than on the fronts.

We all struggle with this. No matter what our art is, there are always those bits that everyone sees and those bits that are covered up. And we face the question of how much effort to put into these various parts. It’s easy enough if it’s a hobby and you have all the time in the world. But you need to ship if you’re making a living off your art.

Tomorrow, another contract and project will be waiting for your chisel and hammer. So, how do you draw those lines? For most artists, myself included, I would say “with difficulty.” We all struggle to determine where compromise must occur and where it absolutely cannot.

Going back to the British Museum, the moment I saw where that sculptor made his compromises, it reminded me that this is not a new problem and that we all struggle with it and, 2,400 years later, we all do the best we can.

Ending the Automators Podcast

Yesterday the announcement went public that we’ll be wrapping up the Automators podcast, with our last episode being released on Friday, November 15.

It’s strange for me to be closing down a podcast; I’ve never done that before. Indeed, it took me a long time to come around to the idea of shutting down Automators, but I do believe it’s for the best.

We are ramping up the content on Mac Power Users so there is increasing overlap between the two shows. Moreover, Rose and I both have a lot of irons in the fire, and that show requires a lot of work to prepare.

As I’m starting to think about 2025, I want to focus on the MacSparky Labs even more, so something had to give. Of all my commitments, Automators seemed the right one to give up. I know this is disappointing for some of you, but I will continue to cover automation topics in the Labs and on the Mac Power Users podcast as well, and I hope you can understand.