This week - 2018-05-20

This week I have been:

Technology 💻

I’ve just bought a new doorbell and I’m shocked at how poor the choice of doorbell is. Even buying a good brand of doorbell, it’s still not great - too quite, poor sounds. I think this is about as good as it gets without getting something like a Ring, which I have no intention of doing. I assume people just aren’t willing to spend any money on doorbells so nobody invests in producing a good one.

Life ⽣

I’m continuing to embrace a certain level of digital detachment outside of work. I’m not cutting myself of entirely but am being much more measured in the type of notifications that I respond to and how I consume content. The biggest upside is that I’ve read 2 good books over the last week: The Undercover Economist and Sharpe’s Tiger. I’ve got a lot more enjoyment out of reading them than working through a YouTube playlist.

Along the same theme I’ve also bought a Timex Weekender watch. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I’m hoping that having something that is just a watch on my wrist will have a couple of effects:

1. I don’t need a clock on my screen anymore, allowing me to get more immersed without the constant nag of the clock in the bottom corner.

2. I’ll check my phone less for the time, meaning I’ll see fewer notifications.

I’m slightly doubtful that it’ll work that way but it’s still a great watch to have.

Food 🍽

Cooked Big Plate Chicken (Da Pan Ji 大盘鸡) for lunch with some friends. Maggie Zhu’s recipe is definitely not authentic - it contains beer which a genuine Uighur recipes wouldn’t - but it’s hugely tasty. That combines with some homemade flat noodles made for a brilliant lunch.