Category: Technology

There are two separate issues with the technology I use at work that conspired to confound me earlier this year.

1. Salesforce objects have two different unique ID constructions.
2. Common lookup functions in Google Sheets are case-insensitive.

In addition to receiving a physical copy of the Sunday edition of the New Haven Register, my subscription includes access to their “E-Edition,” which amounts to a digital scan of the paper. It’s perfect for reading on my iPad.

Clicking on an article opens it in a dedicated and simplified reader view, avoiding the need to flip through the paper to continue reading. Plus, I can still read the daily comics.

I prefer reading the “curated” daily newspaper instead of checking the website or the CT Insider app for new articles.¹Or, even worse, enable push notifications from the app. I can dedicate time to sit down and peruse the day’s news, then not feel obligated to have it follow me around on my phone. It’s helped me become more informed on news of all types—more than poking around on Reddit allows—without succumbing to a 24-hour news cycle or doom-scrolling social media to see all the hottest takes.

I still enjoy going outside on a sleepy Sunday morning to see a bagged newspaper at the base of the front porch, but it would certainly be a waste to have that every day. This online version, which I made a shortcut to access easily, is more than sufficient.

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  Or, even worse, enable push notifications from the app.

I started using feeeed after reading about it on MacStories. It’s a neat app that, though lacking a certain style and polish, is a wonderful way to create a personal list of suggested content using only sources that you provide. I can take in a fun mix of baseball subreddit posts, articles on several blogs I follow, random photos from my library, and a handful of other options.

I’ve tried the RSS game, but as someone who leans toward completionism with my content, I find it difficult to see the list of unread articles grow, yet I refuse to declare feed bankruptcy. feeeed offers a better way for me to access this content naturally. I can always open a chronological list view if I want to find something in particular, but the default view that serves you a mix of content and then cuts you off is ideal. It’s not for everyone, but I’m glad this app was made.

A pickle I’ve avoided for a couple of years has finally been unjarred.¹Is this a good metaphor? Two years ago, I was issued a company-owned laptop that was precisely the same make and model—down to the color—as my personal computer. I was loathe to use two computers and felt uncomfortable doing my extracurricular tasks on the work device, so I continued exclusively using my personal laptop as I’ve done since I started there.

To comply with various data privacy laws and ensure the company can provide tech support, it was recently made clear to me that work had to be done on the work laptop. I now have to maintain feature parity between two computers, bring them both with me while traveling, and generally be inconvenienced by this change.

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  Is this a good metaphor?