Issue #218 | Subscribe

If you've been shopping online for a while, you've probably seen one of those pop-ups that offer a discount code or gift card in exchange for your email address.

Like this one I saw on the theory11 website:

While it's tempting to sign up, this creates a marketing spam problem that keeps cluttering our inboxes over time.

But recently, I learned a trick from a Reddit thread that lets you bypass this problem by creating a separate email inbox for these offers.

So, the idea is this:

You create a separate email address and inbox on Gmail or any other email service, and only use that email address to sign up for these offers.

That way, you can keep offers like these piling up in a separate inbox without cluttering your primary one.

When you're looking to buy something, you can search this “offers inbox” to find any valid discount offer at the time.

This is better than, say, creating a temporary masked email address using iCloud's Hide My Email feature or using a disposable email service because you keep your primary email inbox clean and don’t have the overhead of unsubscribing from these offers once you’re done.

Try it out.

In Today's Cover: Summer is my favourite season for many reasons, one of them being that I get to eat mangoes. To celebrate the mango season, someone made a cool website showing the different varieties of mangoes grown worldwide.

Now, there has been growing dissatisfaction with Google Search, due to its increased surveillance, ads and AI features.

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Before you move on to the rest of this newsletter issue, here are some words from:

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Your Next Read

Business

The Origins of Efficiency

Continuous improvements in production efficiency have played a significant role in shaping our world as we know it now. This book tells the story of industrial efficiency over the centuries.

Apps & Services

Aphera

A minimal, fast photo editor

This looks like a solid app to quickly process RAW photos in bulk. While it’s not a replacement for Lightroom, at least for now, what I liked about it is that it’s keyboard-first, and I can bulk apply edits and tweaks right in the gallery view. Available on macOS via limited beta access.
Choclift

Open apps, websites and more on Mac from iPhone

At first, I thought this was a gimmick, but upon using the app, the experience wasn’t bad. I don’t know if I’ll use this sort of remote desktop control for long, but your mileage may vary. Try it out yourself. Available on macOS and iOS for $2.99/month.
Days Since

See when was the last time you did something

This progress tracker app tells you the last time you did something, such as exercised, watered your plants, etc., which is helpful both when you’re trying to quit a bad habit or build a good one. Available on iOS for free.

Handy Shortcut

⌘

Shift

H

Navigate to your home folder in the macOS Finder app.

Interesting Reads

The Dark Side of Stationery Culture

8 min read

At this point, I feel that most of us have had experiences with some form of performative productivity. You know, that feeling that this new tool, Notion template or notebook will finally help us be more organised and productive. This piece explains this phenomenon quite clearly.
20 Ideas and Habits for a Multi-Passionate Life

5 min read

I’ve enjoyed being a generalist my whole life, and I agree with most of the points in this article. If you’re looking to add more interests, skills and hobbies to your life, this is a good place to start.
Stop Forcing Focus and Give Your Desk a Neuroscience Glow-Up

4 min read

How we design our workspace matters in focusing on our work. I liked the “focus activator” tip, and I’ll think of something for my workspace. Try it yourself.
How Reverse Game Theory Could Solve The Housing Shortage

22 min read

This is an excellent piece highlighting that the rules of the game in real-life negotiations are not always fixed, and you can tweak them slightly to free yourself from a stalled negotiation. I never knew “air rights” was a thing.

Watch Next

This guy built his own tiny device to dictate and capture notes and ideas on the go. It's a nice project if you're into DIY.

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