What I’m doing now
(This is a now page, and if you have your own site, you should make one, too.)
Updated October 5th, 2025, from my new home in a forest north of Wellington, New Zealand, where it’s officially spring, but cold and raining all the time.
social media
Yesterday I realized that even though I don’t use social media myself, it’d be considerate to sync my writing to all the channels.
switched from Mac to Linux, and iPhone to Android
Apple is frustrating. Awesome hardware, but awful software. A few months ago I switched from my 12-year-old silent Linux PC to a Mac Mini, mostly because of Apple’s better Chinese typing. It was OK. I didn’t hate it.
I keep my software updated, so when it told me to upgrade to Mac OS “Tahoe” last week, I installed it but it’s so SO ugly! Ridiculous extra-rounded corners make everything take up more space on the screen. It looks so bad that for the day I used it, I found I was hating my computer and resentful, so I took four hours to erase my entire computer and re-install the previous MacOS “Sequoia”, which should be supported for a couple more years. So to save you the trouble, ignore the Tahoe “upgrade” as long as you can.
But now I dislike Apple even more, and trust them even less. MacOS feels like a slowly sinking ship. Its computer division is a neglected side-effect of a luxury phone company. Its software is so not for me.
So I gave away my Mac Mini, switched back to my 12-year-old silent PC, installed Debian 13 on it this week, and I’m SO SO happy to be back on a snappy fast computer that does exactly what I want and nothing I don’t want. I also replaced MacOS on my Mac laptop with Asahi Linux, which I’ll keep using for travel.
I’ve also ditched iPhone and switched to Android. Feels great to adjust the device to my tastes, instead of adjust myself to Apple’s tastes.
public code
I’m enjoying a re-think and re-structure of all of my past code, doing even more inside of PostgreSQL. I’m in that phase where I do it until I fall asleep at night, then bounce of bed at 5am to get right back to it.
Finally sharing my main code, which you can see at:
Migrating it in from an old non-Git directory, so it will appear piece by piece.
done with podcasts
I’ve been on over 250 podcasts, and spent hundreds of hours editing the transcripts to make them as accurate as can be, so no one has to listen to 500+ hours of me talking. You or a computer can read, search, or query the transcripts. But this has all taken so much time that I’m going to stop doing podcasts for a while and turn my attention back to writing.
41 books that reference me
New page on the site: sive.rs/ref
best music videos
Oh please go see the best music videos I’ve seen in so long, made by clarinetist Vincent Pongrácz in Vienna, in the band Synesthetic4.
So indie. So cool. So weird. So funny — I laughed the whole time. So brilliant. My soul needed this. I’m so glad Vincent emailed me.
reading again
Using a Boox Go 6 EPUB reader, I’m reading while exercising, reading in bed in the morning until the house warms up, reading while my kid plays with friends in the forest, reading while cycling on the stationary bike on a rainy day. Feels great to be excited to read again. Not sure why I wasn’t for a while.
See my book notes and click “newest”, up top, if you want to see what I’ve read recently.
learning Chinese
After four trips to China in one year, I’m enamored. I’d love to live there. I’m spending hours a day learning Chinese using Skritter, Wenlin, Anki, Michel Thomas, Pimsleur, and more under the advice of Olle Linge from Hacking Chinese. It will take years to get to fluency, but I’m committed. I’ve memorized how to read and write (and type!) these 613 characters and components so far:
⺄⺈⺋⺌⺧⺪⺮⺳⺶⺷⺻⻊一七万三上下不业东两丨个丬中丶为主丿久么之乐乙九也习书买亅了事二于五些亠京亮人亻什今介从他以们件休会但位住体作你便信候借假做像儿先入全八公六共关兴其冂再冖写冫冷净准几凵出刀刂分别到前力办加动助勹包匕化北匚匸医十午半南卜卤卩印厂厶去又友发口只叫可右号司吃同名后向吗吧听告呢和哥哪唱商啊喜喝囗四回因国土在地场坏坐块士声夂备夊夏夕外多大天太头女奶她好如妈妹姐姓子字学孩宀它安完定实客室家寸对小少尢就尸屮山岁巛川工左差己已巳巾市师带帮常干平年幺广床应店度廴廾开弋弓弟张彐彑当彡影彳往很得心忄忘忙快怎怕思总息您情想意感慢懂戈成我户房所手扌才打找把护报拿支攴攵放教数文斗斤新方旁旅无旡日早时明星昨是晚曰更最月有朋服望期木本机李条来杯果树校样桌椅楼欠次欢歌止正步歯歹殳毋母每比毛氏民气水氵氺汉汽没法洗活海渴漂火灬点热然照爪爫爱父爸爻片牙牛牜物犬犭狗猫玄玉王玩现班球理瓜瓦甘生用田电男疋疒病癶白百的皮皿目直相看真眼着睛睡矛矢知石示礻票禸离禾种租穴空穿立站竹笑笔第等答米糸系累纟红约纸绍经给缶网罒羊美羽老耂考者而耒耳聿肉能脑臣自至臼舌舛舟艮色艸艹花苹茶菜虍虫蛋血行衣衤表襾西覀要见视觉角言讠认让记识诉试话该语说请读课谁谢谷豆豕豸贝贵赤走起越足跑跟路身车辛辰辶边过运近还这进远送道邑那都酉酒釆里重金钅钱错镸长门问间阜阝院隶隹难雨雪零青非面革韦韭音页题风飞食饣饭饿馆首香马骨高髟鬯鬲鬼鱼鸟鸡鹿麦麻黄黍黑黹黾鼎鼓鼠鼻齐齿龙龟龠
boy in high school
My son is in his first year of high school, and is so wonderfully insightful, philosophical, talkative, and creative. We talk talk talk like 20+ hours a week.
rats are wonderful
The pet rats are adorable little hand-warmers. I’m letting them roam free in the house more often. So now they climb up my chair and into my lap, and fall asleep on me as I work or read.