Heptathlon 5
Seven notes on what's keeping me busy this week. One for each day.
- I've been reflecting on how far I've come over the years. While you might not notice your increased skills daily, it's clear when you look further back. As we become more experienced in anything, we tend to forget what it's like to be at a beginner's level. We think our skills are just normal, but they're actually the result of many hours of practice.
- While I don't use AI to write the initial draft of my blog posts, I do use it to enhance them. I created a custom GPT on ChatGPT called Blog Post Polisher™. It's like a supercharged spelling checker. It fixes spelling mistakes and awkward sentences while keeping my writing style intact. It also helps with meta descriptions and suggests post titles. Additionally, it generates Open Graph images for my social posts. I'm still looking for a good prompt to generate images that feel less AI-like and more original.
- It's almost July, and that means a new blogging challenge is around the corner. One I'm looking forward to is July Reply, where people reply to someone else's blog post. The new month hasn't started yet, but I took the liberty to start already, like a try-out for a new theater show. The result is my reply to a post called "Equally different". More to come over the next few weeks.
- For me, a newly formed habit can break as easily as it was formed. After doing something for a while, my interest just fades away. It could be a camping weekend that interrupts my guitar practice or a busy workweek that breaks my reading streak. These interruptions make it hard to pick up the habit again. Why does this happen? I don't know. Maybe someday I'll figure it out or find someone who has the answers I've been seeking for so long.
- I'm a sucker for videos like this one, where someone from the audience gets up on stage and rocks out surprisingly well with the band. This girl singing with Jessie J falls in that same category. It makes for a special situation and shows the uniqueness a live concert can bring.
- Technology and golf might not seem to go together well, but a recent MKBHD video shows that there's quite a lot of tech involved in golf coverage these days. Technology like this enhances the experience of watching sports, just like the hawk-eye in tennis or wave lights guiding athletes to records in track & field athletics.
- While his prime days are long past, it's still thrilling to watch a legend like Paul McCartney perform. I hadn't seen his show Live from NYC yet, and I'm happy the YouTube algorithm led me to it. The part where he seems to mess up "Blackbird" is funny to watch. I still don't know if it was intentional.