Archives for 2024

For the past 4 years, there has been one online subscription I’ve been thrilled to pay for each year: Ulysses. It is, by far, the best writing app I’ve come across. The interface is clean, and it’s a canvas that I enjoy coming to every day to write this blog.

Sadly, they’ve messed up and lost my trust.

A few bits of context first. Ulysses is Mac only. Focusing on one operating system is a bold position to take in a market where 72% of people use Windows. However, as someone who supports software teams building across three different operating systems, focusing only on one has huge advantages.

Secondly, Ulysses use iCloud sync to ensure content is saved and accessible across all Apple devices. If you have a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, all of your writing should be available to you within seconds. And this is where Ulysses has lot my trust.

For the past 2-3 months, iCloud sync has not worked. The content on my phone and Mac have been out of step with each other. And as someone who likes to write both on-the-go as well as at my desk, it’s critical that I have the ability to start writing a blog post on my phone and then pick it up from my MacBook later in the day.

I emailed Ulysses about the issue, and I got a standard boiler plate reply. I tried the solutions they recommended, but I’m still facing the same issues months later.

As someone who has a particular date and filing system for my posts, and someone who cares deeply about keeping an accurate record of my writing, this lack of reliability in the service is a real sore spot.

With any other product or service, I’d wash my hands with it and switch to another app, but the daily writing experience on Ulysses is so good that I don’t want to switch. So, I’ll end up migrating the storage of my posts to an external source like Dropbox, which has sub-optimal security, storage, and sync functionality compared to iCloud (at least when iCloud is working!).

The point here is not to complain about Ulysses and my particular issue with iCloud sync. But it’s rather to comment more broadly on how a company that does one thing so well—dare I say, spectacularly well—can break trust with customers on a reliability issue that is unrelated to the core product experience.

I’m inspired by companies that build in public. They voluntarily choose to share detailed and traditionally private data about how they are performing. It’s this commitment to accountatbility that I think helps keep these companies focused on their North Star goal.

Buffer, a company that helps people grow their online audience, has a fantastic transparency report. It shares information about customer numbers, revenue, compensation, and even employee time-off.

Sharing information publicly holds employees and leadership to a higher standard. They know people are watching, so they act with greater diligence and care. And I suspect this flows through to other parts of their products and how they work—they’ve been open since 2010 and don’t look like they’re going to stop.

I love the idea, and I love their consistency and commitment to it too.

Maru has introduced me to a number of Argentine traditions over the years, and a new one we’ve recently added is ‘Gnocchi Day’.

I had no idea this was a thing, but on the 29th of every month, Argentine families eat Gnocchi.

It got me thinking: why this tradition? Why the 29th? And why gnocchi?

Well in the 19th century there were a large number of Italian immigrants that moved to Argentina; bringing with them recipes for pizza and pasta. The 29th of each month was also just before payday, so even when money was tight at the end of the month, most people still had potatoes and flour in their pantry. Gnocchi was a practical, filling, and affordable meal.

Gnocchi Day has since evolved into a tradition where families eat it on the 29th for good luck. It’s simple, fun, and delicious—what’s not to like?

Maru and I are moving flats at the end of the month and we’re starting to clear out our clutter.

It occurred to me that clutter is often hidden. We store things at the back of closets on the off chance we may need them again in the future. But we put those items in places that are equally out-of-the-way and hard-to-find.

This leads to an accumulation of things that aren’t that useful and are rarely used. And as we accumulate more, we get better at hiding the clutter.

Moving flats is a lesson in hidden clutter and the value of having fewer, better things.

“As the crow flies” is an unhelpful measure of distance.

It’s typically used to describe how two locations aren’t that far from each other, but traveling from point A to point B is usually more complicated.

A journey is longer or shorter based on the terrain, the mode of transport, the weather, and other unexpected delays.

When making plans, are you and your team estimating based on how far the crow has to fly, or on a realistic estimate of the journey ahead.

Note: Bear with me for this post, the Formula 1 season kicks off tomorrow, and I couldn’t be more excited.

The magic of Formula 1 car is not in its straight-line speed, but rather the speed that it can carry through corners. Its aerodynamic design creates downforce, which is downward air pressure that glues the car to the track. Immense amounts of downforce help the car maintain grip and pace as it hurtles through corners.

Another factor that influences cornering speed is the curbs at the edge of the track. Drivers are allowed to drive on the curbs so long as two of the four wheels of their car remain on the track. This allows them to increase their entry angle and carry more speed into each corner. There is a risk / reward trade-off though: driving on the curb can unsettle the balance of the car, and in the worse case can result in a crash.

Using more curb introduces more risk.

What I love about Formula 1 drivers is they always use all of the curb available to them. There is no debate. They’re playing right to the edge of the rules, and pushing the car to its absolute limit. It’s a way and style of play that is inspiring and awe-inspiring.

Let the season begin!

I spent this week in-person with colleagues who are usually spread all over Europe and the US.

Our time together was equally valuable for our work as it was for building stronger working relationships.

We ended the week with a much clearer vision for what we’re hoping to accomplish this year.

I’m sure my experience mimics what many of you have felt too: there’s nothing quite like in-person collaboration to focus a team.

Sometimes we may get impatient, lazy, or simply believe we’ve run out of time.

But the cost of mistakes that slip through the cracks are often far higher than the cost of checking our work a second time.

Performing a double check almost always has a positive ROI.

On days where I don’t have a clear idea for a post, I sit quietly, look at the world around me, and soon enough an idea appears.

If I feel frustrated, I remember the words of Patricia Ryan Madsen when explaining an improvised theatre exercise where participants open an imaginary box and describe what they see, “There’s always something in the box”.

The point is not to be happy or sad with what is in the box. The magic isn’t in producing that one amazing piece of writing, it’s in the consistency.

Since I decided to stop cycling in London, I’ve started running instead. It’s a great alternative to the stifling London Underground.

An unexpected benefit is learning how running can be a great discovery tool. I’m travelling this week for work, and heading out for runs to explore a new city has been really fun.

No headphones, no music, just soaking in the sights, sounds, and smells. One slow jog at a time.

“If you are healthy, you have no actual problem, all your other worries are in your mind, just relax and be grateful that you have plenty of opportunities to improve your life.”

This tweet from The Orange Book resonated with me, and was a great reminder of the importance of investing in health.

We’re big Formula 1 fans in this house. Well, I am. And Maru is a supportive spouse who stays up to date on everything happening in the sport so we can chat about it.

For the past 5 years, Netflix has released a documentary called ‘Drive to Survive’ that follows the previous year’s Formula 1 season. It gives an amazing, behind-the-scenes insight into the personalities and competitive dynamics of the sport. The first two seasons are what got me into the sport.

I never thought I’d be a fan of Formula 1, but this series has spawned a generation of fans. And those fans—like myself—have proven to be very sticky! That’s probably the most impressive part, and is a great example of what documentary storytelling can do!

The Hawthorne Effect happens when “subjects of an experimental study attempt to change or improve their behaviour simply because it is being evaluated or studied”.

At first glance the Hawthorne Effect seems detrimental to quality research. And, in most cases, it probably is. For example, that’s why it’s hard to do studies on what people eat, because when people are conscious they’re being watched, they modulate what they eat.

Despite its flaws, the Hawthorne Effect can also be a powerful tool. If you’ve ever tracked your calories, you’ll know the act of inputting your food into an app will make you second guess that late afternoon snack. Watching your own calories often leads to less snacking and choosing healthier options.

The Hawthorne Effect is neither good nor bad. It just is. How we choose to use it, or how we interpret the results of a study impacted by it, is our responsibility.

My friend Russell started a new project, and it’s well worth sharing.

It’s called Haudoo (pronounced: how do), and it’s a collection of short, no-nonsense books on how to do something.

Russell is great at presentations, so it makes sense the first book is “How to do presentations”.

Russell is recruiting other people to contribute content for other Haudoo books, such as how to write a blog post, or how to write an email.

The books are well designed, and I could see them working really well as part of an onboarding pack for new hires in a company.

When riding around London, you’ll inevitably have a few close calls—with pedestrians, other cyclists, or vehicles. It’s a city with unforgiving roads and impatient travellers.

Over the past year, I’ve had the feeling that it was not a matter of if, but rather a matter of when, an accident would happen.

I didn’t like that feeling. So I’ve decided to sell my bike. I no longer feel the risk / reward trade-off is worth it. I accept some inconvenience going forward, but the peace of mind is worth more.