Excursions by Amit Gawande https://www.amitgawande.com/ en Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:49:14 +0530 There are two writers within me. … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/03/12/there-are-two.html Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:49:14 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/03/12/there-are-two.html <p>There are two writers within me. One wants me to write as freely and as frequently as possible, blurting out everything that comes to my mind. The other wants me to weigh each word, think deeply, and post only when I have something meaningful to say. Every time they fight, which they do often, my writing stops. I am going through one such phase.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: There are two writers within me. One wants me to write …'>Reply via Email</a></p> I have enjoyed writing at … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/26/i-have-enjoyed.html Mon, 26 Feb 2024 21:49:35 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/26/i-have-enjoyed.html <p>I have enjoyed writing at Scribbles recently &ndash; you can follow these posts <a href="https://amitg.blog/feed.atom">through the RSS feed</a>. The simplicity of the posting workflow has me hooked. The biggest draw for me is that I can easily begin a draft and expand it with more thoughts across multiple sittings. It&rsquo;s a lot more frictionless than what I have found anywhere recently. The interface suits the kind of posts I am inclined to write these days - <a href="https://amitg.blog/">blogging</a> regularly about life and writing.</p> <p>I am sure the platform won&rsquo;t work for all. There&rsquo;s no support for theming. No automatic cross-posting. No markdown. Micro posts don&rsquo;t sit well on the platform, either. For all that, there&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/13/my-experiments-with.html">no better platform than Micro.blog</a>. Scribbles, on the other hand, strips the blogging to the bare. To what matters: writing blog posts. And for that, the platform does enough.</p> <p>So, keep an eye on <a href="https://scribbles.page/">Scribbles</a>. It <a href="https://scribbles.page/updates/posts/an-update-launch-date-plans-and-setting-it-straight-l8csnr4t">will launch soon</a> to be available for sign-ups.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: I have enjoyed writing at Scribbles recently – you can …'>Reply via Email</a></p> Your blessing in life is when … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/19/your-blessing-in.html Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:59:49 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/19/your-blessing-in.html <blockquote> <p>Your blessing in life is when you find the torture you&rsquo;re comfortable with.</p> <p>&ndash; <a href="https://youtu.be/MaSvlSHNJEk?feature=shared&amp;t=134">Jerry Seinfeld</a></p> </blockquote> <p>What a brilliant quote. And <a href="https://amitg.blog/post/the-meaningless-routine-8wurcjcs">timely for me</a>.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Your blessing in life is when you find the torture …'>Reply via Email</a></p> One thing I did well in my early … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/17/one-thing-i.html Sat, 17 Feb 2024 11:03:00 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/17/one-thing-i.html <p>One thing I did well in my early Twitter days was contributing to and being part of an active #writer community. I found a few feeds at Bluesky that inspire me again.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: One thing I did well in my early Twitter days was …'>Reply via Email</a></p> Ages. After ages, I stayed awake … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/17/ages-after-ages.html Sat, 17 Feb 2024 08:52:00 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/17/ages-after-ages.html <p>Ages. After ages, I stayed awake late into the night. And still woke up early. Sure, the sleep cycle is screwed again.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Ages. After ages, I stayed awake late into the night. …'>Reply via Email</a></p> I started watching Succession … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/14/i-started-watching.html Wed, 14 Feb 2024 22:26:00 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/14/i-started-watching.html <p>I started watching Succession again. Nope. I am watching it for the first time. I could never get into the series earlier. No reason. This time I hope I do.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: I started watching Succession again. Nope. I am watching …'>Reply via Email</a></p> Just a few conversations in, and … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/13/just-a-few.html Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:54:00 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/13/just-a-few.html <p>Just a few conversations in, and I am already seeing some newer ideas on BlueSky. Like feeds &ldquo;responding&rdquo; to me!? Hmm! May be I should spend time knowing this platform better. 🤔</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Just a few conversations in, and I am already seeing …'>Reply via Email</a></p> Update on No-Syndication Experiment https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/11/update-on-nosyndication.html Sun, 11 Feb 2024 22:21:32 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/11/update-on-nosyndication.html <p>Exactly <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/11/i-will-no.html">a month ago</a>, I decided to stop syndicating my posts to any social networks. What have I learnt in this month?</p> <p>The interactions on my posts have significantly gone down. Every post had some replies earlier. No surprise, most were on Micro.blog. A few were on Mastodon. Both have naturally gone down to zero. I have received a few emails (and fewer comments through Commento). I responded to each of them, which is something I cannot say about the earlier replies I received on the timelines. My genuine lack of interest in checking my mentions and responding to them was why I had stopped syndication.</p> <p>How about traffic (<em>yuck!</em>)? I have no clue. Though I have analytics enabled with <a href="https://tinylytics.app/">Tinylytics</a>, I don&rsquo;t follow the numbers. I don&rsquo;t know what the numbers were earlier and how they have been impacted. There is also a possibility that most follow my blog through RSS. Whatever the case, I don&rsquo;t know, and I don&rsquo;t have any interest in finding out.</p> <p>The most noticeable impact has been on my writing &ndash; I have stopped writing for a timeline.</p> <p>Earlier, I subconsciously filtered all my posts through the lens of how they would look on a timeline. Or to the folks who tend to reply to my posts frequently. <em>Is this too long? Too short? Does this interest all? Or some? Or anyone at all?</em> My mind was always crowded with such unnecessary doubts. I <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2022/05/24/193000.html">observed this behaviour first</a> a couple of years ago.</p> <blockquote> <p>Writing publicly, with the voice of your readers chirping at the back of your mind, is ineffective. You write for interaction – that&rsquo;s futile. Most social media posts belong to this category. You are reined back by the voice — you write for someone else. The response you expect from them, your readers, provides you the lead. You write not what you like, you write what you think your reader likes.</p> </blockquote> <p>I even mentioned people through their social media handles in my posts. Futile, I agree. But the whole experience felt unnecessarily limiting, and I lacked the control to not let it feel.</p> <p>What does all of this mean for my no-syndication experiment? As of now, nothing has changed. I like this unshackled feeling while I write. As if no one&rsquo;s watching and weighing up my every word.</p> <p>How about taking my writing to the readers? I am yet to find an organic way to do that. Automatic <em>and passive</em> syndication is not that.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Update on No-Syndication Experiment'>Reply via Email</a></p> I don’t see even a single person … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/11/i-dont-see.html Sun, 11 Feb 2024 19:28:00 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/11/i-dont-see.html <p>I don&rsquo;t see even a single person replying to posts on Bluesky. Is this a sign of a healthy network? I am not talking about my posts either—even posts from well-known voices garner no responses. Everyone seems to be just syndicating their other posts here.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: I don’t see even a single person replying to posts on …'>Reply via Email</a></p> When you say a device is the … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/11/when-you-say.html Sun, 11 Feb 2024 09:48:00 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/11/when-you-say.html <p>When you say a device is the best smartphone, you must be clear if it is Android or iPhone. We are way past when we can compare devices across platforms. One decides on the platform first and then chooses the smartphone they want.</p> <p>If I don&rsquo;t like iOS, doesn&rsquo;t matter how good the iPhone is.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: When you say a device is the best smartphone, you must …'>Reply via Email</a></p> Ok seriously. How’s Bluesky … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/11/ok-seriously-hows.html Sun, 11 Feb 2024 07:37:00 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/11/ok-seriously-hows.html <p>Ok seriously. How&rsquo;s Bluesky different from Mastodon? And why should I spend time here? Is the social aspect of the network any different here? 🤔</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Ok seriously. How’s Bluesky different from Mastodon? And …'>Reply via Email</a></p> A walk in the night! #stories https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/10/a-walk-in.html Sat, 10 Feb 2024 18:11:22 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/10/a-walk-in.html <p>A walk in the night! <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/#stories">#stories</a></p> <img src="https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/7936/2024/ae0ca9e786.jpg" width="600" alt=""> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: A walk in the night! #stories '>Reply via Email</a></p> Samsung mastered a smartphone https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/04/samsung-mastered-a.html Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:28:28 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/04/samsung-mastered-a.html <p>Yesterday, I was sitting with my iPad Mini on the sunny balcony, with my sister&rsquo;s iPhone and my Galaxy S24 Ultra next to me. Barely able to read on my iPad, I picked up my phone and was reminded how I had fallen absolutely in love with this device. Especially the two aspects. The stunning screen. The monstrous battery life.</p> <p>I don&rsquo;t think I have seen <strong>a better screen</strong> than what this has. All reviews have called it out. But you must experience it to appreciate the brilliance of what Samsung has achieved. The text is crisp; the colours pop out. Plus, the lack of reflection is mindblowing. I don&rsquo;t think I can go back to any other device now that doesn&rsquo;t have the technical wizardry that Samsung has packaged here. It&rsquo;s perfectly visible even in the harshest sunlight without losing clarity or colour.</p> <p>I am surprised no one built such a screen earlier. This is much more important than the high refresh rate or crazy resolutions. Here&rsquo;s a snapshot from <a href="https://www.samsung.com/in/smartphones/galaxy-s24-ultra/">the official product page</a>.</p> <img src="https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/7936/2024/screenshot-2024-02-04-at-1.44.43pm.png" width="600" height="322" alt="Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Screen" style="margin: auto;"> <p>The second one is also a no-brainer with its trade-off &ndash; <strong>the battery life</strong>. Since moving to smartphones in 2009 with the iPhone 3GS, I haven&rsquo;t had any phone with a battery life longer than a day. But then I also stubbornly preferred phones with smaller dimensions. I never liked the likes of Notes and Plueses and Pros and Maxes. So, my decision to shift to a large phone this time was clouded by my fear of discomfort.</p> <p>All my fears were washed away right on the second day when my phone wasn&rsquo;t screaming at me to be plugged in. My last phone, the Galaxy S22, was the slickest of all the devices I have ever owned. But it was frustrating to put it to charging every evening. From that to now, when I am easily going through two full days without charging my phone, it is a drastic (and welcome) change. <em>Even three days once</em>. This might be a benefit that all large phones share. But with everything this device packs, it has to be the best amongst the best.</p> <p>Even without the natural benefit of a larger screen to read and write better, I would always select a larger phone from now on just for the battery life it lends.</p> <p>In addition, there are miscellaneous benefits of Samsung&rsquo;s versions of Android phones for me. They have been nailing the physical design of the phones for the past few years. Without all the gloss, they look and feel premium in hand. Everyone who has held this device has commended the richness of its feel.</p> <p>One UI feels slick, elevating the overall Android experience a notch higher. It&rsquo;s inherently Google but distinctly Samsung at the same time. All the small touches they add across the platform are well thought through. The ones that I have found the most used are <a href="https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00083201/">Modes and Routines</a>. It helps set your phone for different phases of the day. I can customize all aspects, the most important being which apps I access during a particular mode. For example, in Life mode, I have set it so that I can&rsquo;t use any apps from my work even if I wanted to. Neither do I get notifications from them. </p> <img src="https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/7936/2024/screenshot-20240204-140847-modes-and-routines-1.jpg" width="400" alt="Modes and Routines feature on Galaxy S24 Ultra" style="margin: auto;"> <p>Samsung has woven a lot of such small additions into the platform. S Pen works nicely. The side Panel stays hidden, yet it is extremely useful. Dex is <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2023/01/11/android-has-a.html">an absolute stunner</a>. And the list goes on.</p> <p>This post has gone on for much longer than I initially expected. And I haven&rsquo;t even talked about the cameras. With Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung has indeed mastered the smartphone.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Samsung mastered a smartphone'>Reply via Email</a></p> Maya narrates an annoying … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/03/maya-narrates-an.html Sat, 03 Feb 2024 21:02:37 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/03/maya-narrates-an.html <p>Maya <a href="https://maya.land/monologues/2023/12/26/laptop-of-the-magi-apple-antitrust.html">narrates an annoying annectode</a> involving iMessages.</p> <blockquote> <p>By buying my mother a gift, I have now made it so that her contacts with iPhones, who all have her email saved, will – by default – send her messages that she cannot access on her phone, and they won’t know that they’re doing this when trying to text her. This seems terrible.</p> </blockquote> <p>This <em>is</em> terrible. I recall I had gone through a similar frenzy when I had switched from my iPhone to Android. Getting back my messages from the clutches of iMessages was so painful. I had to go through this again when I bought my iMac and <em>Apple decided</em> I want messages with my email. It&rsquo;s frustrating to see the limits Apple goes to to decide on its user&rsquo;s behalf what&rsquo;s best for them. I really resonate with this thought from Maya (emphasis mine).</p> <blockquote> <p>If they’d just built their own thing in a separate app that needed both sides <em>to explicitly opt-in</em> to use in their communication, I wouldn’t be writing this!</p> </blockquote> <p>Amen! Only saving grace is there are not many in my family or friends circle who use iPhone.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Maya narrates an annoying annectode involving iMessages. …'>Reply via Email</a></p> 24 Hopes for 2024 https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/02/03/hopes-for.html Sat, 03 Feb 2024 17:35:27 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/02/03/hopes-for.html <p>At the start of every year, I read posts from people where they set goals for themselves. I love the theme, but setting goals or resolutions doesn&rsquo;t work well. I am not a stickler for goal tracking.</p> <p>Recently, I read a couple of posts where people put out a list of <em>their hopes</em> for the year. <a href="https://mei.bearblog.dev/24-hopes-for-2024/">Latest from mei</a>. This inspired me to pen one for myself. I thought I might struggle to create such a list when I started writing this. It was surprisingly simple when I put them in buckets - self, health, relationships and interests. So, here we go!</p> <ol> <li>Write more than I did in 2023 - target 365 posts</li> <li>Read one book in a month - target 12 books</li> <li>Publish one short story</li> <li>Find a medium that helps me be social on the web</li> <li>Find a place for music in my life again</li> <li>Make a journal entry at least once a week</li> <li>Keep <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/#stories">stories</a> on my website updated with one new photo every week</li> <li>Go on a date with my wife once a month</li> <li>Go on a play date with my daughter once a month</li> <li>Family dinner with my wife and daughter once a month</li> <li>Take one picture of my daughter and one of me &amp; my wife every week</li> <li>Meet my two friends circle once a month</li> <li>Inspire interest in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@curiousbee">Curious Bee</a> to create again</li> <li>Find and connect with people whose ideas resonate with me</li> <li>Improve physical fitness by walking 5 days a week</li> <li>Improve mental fitness by meditating 5 days a week</li> <li>Do Pranayama and Surya Namaskar at least 2 times a week</li> <li>Take care of my face</li> <li>Achieve better work-life balance, <em>minimize life during work</em></li> <li>Learn to cook roti</li> <li>Visit a cafe alone once a month</li> <li>Speak up my mind, even if it disappoints others</li> <li>Learn to use the calendar to structure day and week</li> <li>Learn to use my smartphone better for reading and writing</li> </ol> <p>I accept it&rsquo;s slightly late to publish such a list. But I have already been working on a few of these. Plus, it&rsquo;s better late than never.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: 24 Hopes for 2024'>Reply via Email</a></p> I haven’t posted anything since … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/31/i-havent-posted.html Wed, 31 Jan 2024 21:01:25 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/31/i-havent-posted.html <p>I haven&rsquo;t posted anything since I <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/28/i-am-leaning.html">last wondered</a> &ldquo;why I even write anymore in public&rdquo;. This question still crowds my mind. But I read what other folks write, which, in turn, makes me want to do that. So, I am <em>not</em> going to stop writing on my blog anytime soon.</p> <p>What do I write about? Well, about nothing and everything. That has been my mantra.</p> <p>I usually do not have a set template for my posts. I start writing, and the thoughts pour themselves out. The only thing I have to do is sit down at my desk and start hammering on my keyboard.</p> <p>Recently, I read some excellent posts on blogging versus social media. The first is Robb Knight talking about how <a href="https://rknight.me/blog/the-web-is-fantastic/">the web is fantastic</a>. This feeling resonated with my current state of mind.</p> <blockquote> <p>Blogs and RSS never died. Some of us just took a little break from it while we all shitposted on Twitter for likes, retweets, and validation. While we wrote long, unfindable threads instead of blog posts. I&rsquo;m as guilty of this as anyone.</p> </blockquote> <p>It&rsquo;s been some time now since I posted to any social network. <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/11/i-will-no.html">20 days to be exact</a>. It&rsquo;s freeing to not worry about how my posts look on different timelines or how people react to them. I write on <em>and for</em> my blog. I have also accepted that I won&rsquo;t get any reaction on even my most thoughtful posts.</p> <p>I have yet to find a frictionless way to respond to a post I read. <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/21/i-wish-every.html">I want that</a>.</p> <p>The second post is <a href="https://chrismcleod.dev/blog/blogging-is-where-its-at-again/">Chris McLeod vouching for the resurgence of blogging</a>.</p> <blockquote> <p>[S]tumbling into such a trove of active blogs has enthused me about blogging as a medium again. It&rsquo;s sparked a thought that through a combination of increased blogging activity, declining platforms, and increasing adoption of open standards to glue everything together, that maybe — just maybe — we can swing the web back towards the blog again.</p> </blockquote> <p>I share Chris&rsquo;s optimism &ndash; posting micro thoughts on social media led to the discovery of many good bloggers. I maintain my apprehensions about micro posts on the blog &ndash; <em>I cannot write and post them</em>. But I am okay with others doing it.</p> <p>Anyway, I continue to read blogs through RSS. I continue to write on my blog. All&rsquo;s well.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: I haven’t posted anything since I last wondered “why I …'>Reply via Email</a></p> On Writing on Web https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/28/i-am-leaning.html Sun, 28 Jan 2024 21:10:54 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/28/i-am-leaning.html <p>I am leaning towards a theory as I stay away from all the social timelines these days. There are more writers on the web today than there are readers. More words are written and published by diverse voices on the internet than there are people following them. Responding to them.</p> <p>Writing on the web feels more like shouting into the void. Words tend to get lost.</p> <p>Why else would I find some gems of the posts every day that are not recommended by anyone? Or on any forum. On social timelines, most people superficially react to such posts. But very few are getting involved in deeper conversations. What&rsquo;s worse is forget appreciation; such posts aren&rsquo;t acknowledged either. On the other hand, superficial reactions are more straightforward and often have an ulterior and selfish motive.</p> <p>I am afraid the methods of organic discovery of good individual blogs and blog posts are failing us. They worked a decade or so back. They don&rsquo;t anymore. There are just too many good writers out there. With setting up platforms for blogging becoming a lot simpler, the number will only rise.</p> <p>The thought makes me wonder why I even write anymore in public. Why do I add to the noise that the web is turning (<em>or has already turned</em>) into now?</p> <p>In a cacophony of deafening chatter, even a symphony is noise if not acknowledged.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: On Writing on Web'>Reply via Email</a></p> On Feeling like Shit https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/26/on-feeling-like.html Fri, 26 Jan 2024 20:59:08 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/26/on-feeling-like.html <p>I have been feeling like shit for the last few days. Even more so today. I think I have lost all the control over my ability to decide what I do these days. I just go with the flow for the whole day, doing what is in front of me.</p> <p>The thing about feeling like shit is the fact that you are feeling like shit makes you feel shittier. <em>A vicious cycle</em>.</p> <p>Sure, these are in no way the worst days. But there&rsquo;s an unknown burden always lurking around. Burden of not doing things as planned. Or the burden of not having a plan at all. I want to put a routine into my life. But my sustained inability to do so is becoming burdensome now.</p> <p>And yet, I don&rsquo;t gauge the days by its productivity. Why should I? I don&rsquo;t want to stitch a hyper-productive routine for myself. So, the lack of achievement in a day doesn&rsquo;t bother me. I keep things simple &ndash; as long as I read some, write some and spend quality family time, I should be happy.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s painful when this <em>uncomplicated</em> happiness doesn&rsquo;t feel enough.</p> <p>I do all the simple things without overcomplicating the problem. But I am unable to stop myself from doing the inessential. Open the same news websites again and again. Scroll meaninglessly. Read something vain. Watch something hollow. Build checklists of tasks. Mindlessly tick them off.</p> <p>Meaningless. One word for the feeling. <em>Mindless</em>. The another.</p> <p>I don&rsquo;t want to achieve a lot in a day. But I would love it to be meaningful. I want to do things consciously. Not do just those that are in front of me. Or are easy. Because easy leans towards absurd. Easy keeps me oblivious. Easy is hollow.</p> <p>Easy makes me feel like shit.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: On Feeling like Shit'>Reply via Email</a></p> A long time ago, I had … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/26/a-long-time.html Fri, 26 Jan 2024 17:43:04 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/26/a-long-time.html <p>A long time ago, I had bookmarked an article on the story behind the new search engine Neeva. I came across that article again today only to find that the search engine is no longer publically available. Is there any point of reading it anymore? Yet I did.</p> <p>Reading the article now made me realize most often, the reasons that the makers of a technology give for its existence and their plans for its long term survival is all just hubris.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: A long time ago, I had bookmarked an article on the …'>Reply via Email</a></p> I received yesterday the Galaxy … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/25/i-received-yesterday.html Thu, 25 Jan 2024 21:18:48 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/25/i-received-yesterday.html <p>I received yesterday the Galaxy 24 Ultra that <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/20/when-i-upgraded.html">I had preordered</a>. A quick opinion after a day&rsquo;s use &ndash; I am mighty impressed. Stunning display. Monstrous battery. And a brilliant camera &ndash; I have taken a few shots in low light and portraits, and boy, am I impressed. This is the basic feature set that matters to me.</p> <p>With a place now for <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/#stories">my snaps on my website</a>, I am going to have so much fun taking pictures with this set of cameras.</p> <p>Coming from a smaller screen size of Galaxy S22, I was very worried that I might not like the massive size jump. But I think <em>I am going to love this size</em>. It has a lot of space for all the elements on the screen. One that also renders a lot of crisp words &ndash; I am now on the lookout for more to read.</p> <p>The overall experience feels buttery smooth. The feel in the hand is light, yet premium. Plus, did I say that I love the larger screen on the phone!?</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: I received yesterday the Galaxy 24 Ultra that I had …'>Reply via Email</a></p> Shade without the sun! #stories https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/24/shade-without-the.html Wed, 24 Jan 2024 22:30:00 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/24/shade-without-the.html <p>Shade without the sun! <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/#stories">#stories</a></p> <img src="https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/7936/2024/a6e7ecc5a1.jpg" width="600" height="1066" alt=""> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Shade without the sun! #stories '>Reply via Email</a></p> Love the games shadow plays … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/22/love-the-games.html Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:50:39 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/22/love-the-games.html <p>Love the games shadow plays <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/#stories">#stories</a></p> <img src="https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/7936/2024/a930d183a6.jpg" width="600" height="1066" alt=""> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Love the games shadow plays #stories '>Reply via Email</a></p> Water and sun! #stories https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/21/water-and-sun.html Sun, 21 Jan 2024 12:14:35 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/21/water-and-sun.html <p>Water and sun! <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/#stories">#stories</a></p> <img src="https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/7936/2024/bd68867aad.jpg" width="600" height="1066" alt=""> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: Water and sun! #stories '>Reply via Email</a></p> I wish every blog post had a … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/21/i-wish-every.html Sun, 21 Jan 2024 10:41:30 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/21/i-wish-every.html <p>I wish every blog post had a footer with easy ways to respond, preferably via email. The early days of blogging were simple, with a plain comments section. All one had to do was add details about themselves and comment. Spam ruined the simplicity, and accounts were required to be created just to add a comment.</p> <p>I yearn for those simpler days. I recently added a way to comment below my posts, powered by <a href="https://commento.io/">Commento</a>. The simplicity of this system does have a price associated with it. But I want to keep that option around since I <a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/11/i-will-no.html">stopped syndicating</a> posts to the social timelines.</p> <p>Plus, the readers can always respond via email. I am relieved to see responses received through both of these mediums.</p> <p>At the same time, it pains me when I open a blog post looking for a way to respond, and I can&rsquo;t find any. Even if there is one, it is generally via some social network, which I am not keen to participate in. Please have a link to respond via email. Someday, you will receive a thoughtful response that will warm your heart.</p> <p><a href="https://www.amitgawande.com/2023/03/04/interaction-not-reaction.html">Interactions are beautiful</a>. Try them!</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: I wish every blog post had a footer with easy ways to …'>Reply via Email</a></p> When I upgraded to Galaxy S22 a … https://www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/20/when-i-upgraded.html Sat, 20 Jan 2024 18:38:58 +0530 http://tales.micro.blog/2024/01/20/when-i-upgraded.html <p>When I upgraded to Galaxy S22 a couple of years back, I wrote this about my initial impressions about the device.</p> <blockquote> <p>I love the design of this phone, plus the feel in the hand. It&rsquo;s compact yet powerful. I also like what Samsung has done with Android. This is possibly the best compact smartphone out there. Not just with Android.</p> </blockquote> <p>After a couple of years with a compact phone, I have decided to jump to the other extreme. I have preordered the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I want to use a monstrous phone now. Though the compact phone was brilliant for general use, two issues have troubled me a lot.</p> <p>The first is battery life. It barely lasted a whole day for me. If I use it heavily, I would need to juice it up towards the evening. With a bigger phone comes a bigger battery. I require a phone that lasts at least a day now.</p> <p>The second is the smaller screen wasn&rsquo;t the best to read and write. Especially later. I felt constrained and generally preferred to read on my iPad and write on my iMac or laptop. I hope both changes with a larger screen.</p> <p>I knew back then that Galaxy Ultra was the device I wanted next. I will have one next week.</p> <p><a href='mailto:reply@amitgawande.com?subject=Re: When I upgraded to Galaxy S22 a couple of years back, I …'>Reply via Email</a></p>