things i’ve liked this week, vol. 11
2025-08-17
here are some i’ve liked this week. a little light on this, but i want to get it out so i can do this on a weekly cadence.
software
readeck
i’ve become preoccupied with creating my own taxonomies of knowledge, and have finally tried a read-it-later app. i initially tried to use pocket a decade ago, but was bad at curating and cautious about outsourcing my knowledge to the cloud. (my instincts turned out to be good, in this case!) i use a variety of sources for bookmarking—zotero, my browser bookmarks, things i write into various notes apps—i’m willing to make the tradeoffs because i think consolidating everything into one system is honestly a little overwhelming, if not tantalizing.
a round of research brought me to readeck, a self-hosted read-it-later app. it does everything i want: cataloging my articles into its database is easy with the browser extension, the user interface is clean and fast and it has the reading customization options that are most important to me, including a great selection of fonts), and it has a neat trick up its sleeve: export an .epub for consumption on an e-ink tablet. and it has nothing i don’t want: it doesn’t try to do everything. i like software designed like a thoughtful tool, to create a comfortable way to look through my world of hypertext. how delightful.
tv
rick steves’ europe
when i was a kid, my teacher made us watch rick steves in class, and i’m eternally grateful. over the years i’ve learned to appreciate just how well-made this type of show is. sure, he’s no anthony bourdain, but the narration is
his youtube channel has most of his episodes, and it’s a great thing to just point youtube at it, but if you’re looking for some starting points, my favorites so far have been:
- “rick steves’ iran”
- not in europe at all, yes! when this was filmed international tensions between the us and iran were quite high (imagine that!), and rick looked to tell a story about iran’s culture, sights, its cities and rural villages, its beautiful landscapes and deep history. it’s easier now to get a direct tap into the culture of anywhere in the world, but a great guide makes it easier.
- “rick steves’ iceland”
- his most recent one after many years, he seems to be in a great mood as he explores all of iceland, going on a tour of reykjavik before setting off on route one, stopping by hot springs, gorges, waterfalls. there’s a remarkable diversity of nature in such a northerly place. gosh, iceland just seems so… perfect. and i know that’s probably not the case, but i’d love to visit someday.
- “travel skills: cruising”
- ok, cruising is a special interest of mine. i do, of course, mean cruise ships! this is just me nerding out, but i think it’s a great demonstration of what rick does well: it manages to be informational (combining exposition on all the various workings of a cruise ship with a how-to course on what to expect on a cruise) while being easy-to-digest, with rick’s demeanor being friendly and dorky; he comes off as smart but never patronizing.