Issue #238 | Subscribe

I mentioned in Issue #236 that I wanted to try a project to remove bloatware from my Android TV.

Well, I did some experimenting that weekend, and it went better than I had expected.

After under an hour of tinkering with Claude, I had a clean TV like this:

Now, this goes beyond installing a new Android TV launcher. The process also uninstalled unnecessary apps that ran in the background and made the TV painful to use.

The TV now boots up noticeably quickly and is much more enjoyable to use.

I even set up AirPlay support during the process, a feature I had long wished for in my TV.

I used one of the stock themes from the project, but I plan to tweak the setup with more quality-of-life improvements later.

In Today's Cover: Catatumbo lightning, an atmospheric phenomenon that causes the highest density of lightning strikes on Earth over Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela.

Now, if you need a tidy place to save interesting links, photos and ideas, have you tried the ToMe app?

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

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Your Next Read

Thriving

Big Feelings

Liz and Mollie, the duo behind some of the most soulful comics on Instagram, talk about dealing with feelings like anger, uncertainty, burnout and more in this true-to-life book.

Apps & Services

‎Anchor

An app to time-block and focus on your tasks

If you like time-blocking for daily work, this app will be handy. Create time blocks within the in-app calendar, add a few tasks to each slot, and start a focus session when it's time. Comes with widgets, live activities, AI support and more. Available on iOS and macOS and is free to start.
Shoji

Tile windows on your Mac automatically

I’ve used window tiling in many ways: macOS's built-in tiling system, Raycast, and Magnet. This is the most intuitive and hands-free option I have tried. Choose a tiling setup, and Shoji automatically resizes and moves your windows into slots as you open and close apps. Available on macOS and costs $14.99 one-time.
Zeitgeist

A private journal that feels like social media

This private journal app recreates the feeling of posting on social media. Post a short journal entry, and it gets published on your private feed. It also pulls your health and calendar data to tag with a date. You can even create profiles of people in your circle and then mention them in your entries. Available on iOS and is free to start.

Handy Shortcut

⌥

Up/Down

Move across pages in a document in the macOS Preview app.

Interesting Reads

23 Journal Prompts

4 min read

If you, too, stare at your journal, thinking what to write, or want to vary your entries, try these prompts. The “unlived lives” and “seasons within you” prompts will make for interesting essays.
How Can I Make Better Decisions When Facing Uncertainty?

15 min read

If you lead people at work or in your business, this trialectics framework is a sound process to make sense of chaos in troubling times.
The Missing Ingredient of Modern Life

7 min read

In the rush of modern life, where we aim for efficiency in everything, we need more of the wonder antidote.
You’re Not Stuck. You’re at Your Local Maximum

6 min read

If you feel stuck in your career or business, this perspective can push you to shake things up and make progress.

Watch Next

A super-long but interesting conversation with Michael Phelps about discipline and mindset that’s worth watching.

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