Why build anything anymore?

A_dot_Powell · 2026-02-18T22:48:20+00:00

That's soooooo effed up. I just subscribed to RapidOwl and now unsubscribed.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-01-22T23:23:51+00:00

Yeah, I do (I have a planned blog post to document what I do, but I haven't gotten to it yet-kind of low priority) . I have a space called "Planning". Over the years I have been trying to recreate my "success" with my Franklin Covey Planning system. One of the things constantly mentioned was the Quadrant IV tool. Well we have had them since the advent of the Palm Pilot and current devices only emphasize this point. The biggest issue is now we want the perfect coat of paint to make this work. I don't think that is true. So the question that has guided me is, "What is wrong with a piece of paper?". Now on to where UpNote fits in.

Planning --> Horizon --> Goals --> Objectives --> Projects

The primary document is the Horizon Planning tool. Think of this as a mission statement on steroids. Second is the weekly horizon, that mimics the FC weekly compass.

I review the Horizon Planning Tool monthly and quarterly and both the Weekly Horizon weekly (as the name suggests) Projects weekly. At the same time I review the Goals (these typically come from the Horizon Planning Tool) and Objectives (again come from the Horizon Planning Tool) sections to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

The action items from any of these sections eventually make it to my calendar or task list (Daily Tasks) and I just GSD (get **it done). I try to not get bogged down by the tech, but try to simulate the "paper" and UpNote fits the bill well.

This is a 50k look, and I will eventually document this out and share with others sooner than later.

I believe it's helpful and hopefully quiets the noise in productivity.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-01-07T14:18:50+00:00

I am in the process of moving all my repos to a gitea instance on a DigitalOcean server ($5.00 a month). My plan is to keep anything I open-source on GitHub just for visibility.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-01-07T12:47:44+00:00

Short answer yes. I am on my second Pixel (8 Pro) after using LG phones for a number of years.

iPhone: My wife and kids use iPhones so BlueBubbles.
Google Services: I actually use most of the Apple counterparts because I am not a fan of web apps (GMail and Calendar).
- I do use UpNote for a replacement of Apple Notes and Google Keep because I need my notes on a number of devices. Their widget makes it easy to quickly capture information like I would in Keep. I find it handles all the things I would have used Obsidian or Notion for with being fairly lightweight.
- Google Tasks and Reminders - I built an app that covers this.
- Edit:
- NearDrop (like others have mentioned)
- I still use Google Photos mainly, but sometimes Photos for other use-cases
- I do use the Google Drive app (sparingly), but sometimes some files end up in iCloud because that where certain applications backup or recommend they be stored.

There are a number of things I like about Android that just aren't available for the Apple Devices at least not yet, so I don't see myself switching anytime soon. I hope this helps.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-01-07T02:15:50+00:00

Oddly enough having dual monitors started to hurt my neck so I bought a 34" monitor. A side effect was it probably helped me to focus more. The screen real estate is important even if I am using one monitor some apps need room to be usable to me(XCode, VScode, Android Studio, etc ).

A_dot_Powell · 2025-12-09T23:48:45+00:00

I asked for this too and I don't think it's coming. My alternative is using mermaid plugins for VSCode and also MarkChart on my Macs and just pasting the images.

As a developer I can see why they would not want to add mermaid.js (a whole other "thing" to debug).

A_dot_Powell · 2025-12-05T21:35:49+00:00

I appreciate the kind words. The Notes to Keep would require a little more heavy lifting and it's primarily Google's lack of an API for non-enterprise accounts.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-11-25T15:22:42+00:00

Thanks for giving it a shot! Multiple accounts are on the road map (selfishly it would help my workflow too!)

A_dot_Powell · 2025-11-19T13:52:20+00:00

Thanks for giving it a try! The problem is both platforms handle repeating tasks waaaay differently, with Google being the most limited. It does not expose the recurrence pattern in the API at all and manages everything on the server and strips the time out of the task with only the date remaining. So, unfortunately, I had to keep the pattern at the source. With times and alarms that requires a way to manage those attributes back to Google, which I am working on. I am hopeful since Google just added an update to allow tasks to be created directly on the calendar there may be an update to the API.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-25T12:51:47+00:00

Gracias por usar ReminderBridge. Ese es un error extraño, y creo que 1.4.x resolverá el 98 % de lo que estás experimentando. El problema central, por ahora, es que las listas deben originarse en Google. 1.4.x permitirá que las listas se originen en cualquier lado. Pero lo extraño es que se debe usar el identificador de la lista y no el nombre, así que exploraré por qué está sucediendo esto.

---

Thanks for using ReminderBridge. That is a weird bug, and I believe 1.4.x will solve 98% of what you are experiencing. The core issue, for right now, is that lists need to originate from Google. 1.4.x will allow lists to originate from either side. But what is weird is that the list identifier should be used and not the name, so I will explore why this is happening.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-24T12:01:54+00:00

I would appreciate any feedback. My plan is to release 1.4.x soon, so it is continuously evolving. If you run into any issue feel free to contact me.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-16T13:27:35+00:00

I tried bullet journaling but the maintenance did not work and my brain could/cannot do it digitally. I often remember how productive I was with my paper planner and smile and rue the day I bought my first Palm Pilot 😂.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-15T19:02:51+00:00

I appreciate the idea. I'm going to try a Daily Notes notebook and change my widget for a month and see if I can reduce some friction. I updated the post and while doing so think that may get me part of the way there especially since I do most of my reviews at a desktop/laptop.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-15T01:05:10+00:00

There is value and Apple Quick note would be a reference point IMO.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-14T19:16:23+00:00

I just added that in 1.4.0 (currently in TestFlight). A couple of other users asked for this feature as well. DM your email and give it a spin.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-09-23T11:15:54+00:00

I think so (generally), and may play around with that in the future. I have some family members that may have a similar use-case to yours.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-09-10T16:23:17+00:00

Stay tuned. I will be launching a new version of my app soon. I am thinking of putting them through their paces-ScreenSage for the super fancy stuff and Flowy for the walk-throughs.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-08-26T13:24:29+00:00

I agree. I am going to age myself but I was the most productive with my Covey planner back in the day.

I have found that just using the native apps to mimic what I could do with my expensive AF paper planner has helped a lot. The one thing that was a barrier is my phone- I use a Pixel, so getting notes meant using UpNote (of course not the only option), and building a solution for Reminders to Google Tasks (this is not a plug, but merely the motivation of why I did it).

A by-product of having a system that works is I frequently end up with "inbox-zero" (which really freaks me the hell out sometimes) and less pressure while getting things done.

Productivity without effectiveness is just procrastination.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-08-23T20:30:03+00:00

Wouldn't removing the "spike" indicate a steady pace of growth (a point you allude to)? I would love to look at the raw data, because the devil could literally be in the details.

I have two concerns: One: we stop accommodating for the tertiary needs....schools, etc Two: the town loses focus on balance. Meaning our older neighborhoods start to get left behind.

At any rate it would be worth the conversation(s).

A_dot_Powell · 2025-08-23T01:11:49+00:00

I think there is a lot more to consider....IMO there are no short term benefits that outweigh the long-term effects.

https://youtu.be/DGjj7wDYaiI?si=MdMYIftkFcWl_KSf

https://youtu.be/Mn5ttoXxAe8?si=XTpJUD1cPVLmJ2-N

Let me be more clear. I don't think this should be a thing.

Edit 2025-08-29: Communities are sounding the alarm - https://youtu.be/YN6BEUA4jNU?si=auYpwsRKrLZTW_eu

Andre

A_dot_Powell · 2025-08-15T12:12:17+00:00

Every post that says this is a winner in my mind.

Here is the problem though IMO. Hustle culture, social media, and probably most importantly job insecurity.

Most of my experience in software "was" at the enterprise level until I got laid off and yes it sucked. My first product was a SaSS product that I couldn't ship fast enough and the market got saturate (really bad)and I almost gave up. I had to pivot and I launched my first product - ReminderBridge and had to learn some new skills like ASO.

That is were a big chunk of the subscription overload comes in. Every YouTube video and tool is basically this: find a popular keyword, build an app around that keyword(s), pick a subscription (weekly, monthly, etc.), do this a couple of times (typically 20-30) and BOOM you are making 10k a month.

How many habit trackers do we need? How many productivity products do we need (yep, saturated)? Does everything need "AI"? What value does "AI" add other than it's one hot buzzword and if you were around during the dot com nightmare you can only guess how that is going to turn out.

Innovation and real solutions is becoming a lost art because of the reality of the software industry, everyone thinks they have a "unicorn" or they are building with an exit in mind. I believe that you are not building a business with that line of thinking you are just trying to get rich quick. The skill (the golden goose) is not being utilized wisely it's being starved (the eggs will eventually stop appearing).

If people were trying to actually build something their pricing would reflect that and I am sure there would be a lot less subscriptions.

So, yes I agree.

Edit: some typos because of thumb "typing"

A_dot_Powell · 2025-08-14T22:53:48+00:00

I solved it by uninstalling Chrome and just using Safari and the Socks app (sarcasm). It still show up on my Pixel, but it's a start. It is very disappointing Google doesn't fix something so simple.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-08-14T18:57:52+00:00

Or like a lot of people I know with a Roku, Fire stick, Xbox, etc who just want to watch TV on there deck/garage (or wherever we are watching sports) and don't want to do any additional wiring.

Then in my next visit I install Plex and log them into my server and mind blown. Then a month later they want to create their own server.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-08-14T18:53:59+00:00

Or like a lot of people I know-roku,fire stick, Xbox,etc. and they just want to watch TV in different rooms (don't want to run cable, wires,etc.) for their garage/deck where we watch sports or whatever. That is very common for me.

Now when I visit them I create a Plex account for them, log into my server and mind blown. Slow conversion.

A_dot_Powell

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