even minor text changes! This feed tracks every change made on dsriseah.com! It's provided for people who are tracking every text update, no matter how small. 2026-09-17T19:10:36Z https://dsriseah.com/ Sri 2026-09-17T19:10:36Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.09.17/

⊕ show caption About the Photo // I improvised this chicken pot pie from scratch, making a roux and adding chicken broth, and pouring it over pre-cooked vegetables to make a hearty filling. [...]

2026-09-14T23:13:30Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/squirk/polymathy/

I am looking into polymathy self-reported traits, not non-polymath notions of what it is. To rely on popular notions of polymaths would be like asking a non-painter their opinion about what it means to paint [...]

2026-09-09T03:06:20Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/public/org-gov/04-invitations/

I am in the process of fleshing out this description, excerpted from the post GHDR Report 0505: Setting Sail! Expeditions, Campaigns, and Sorties are all ways describing different levels of [...]

2026-09-09T03:05:29Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/public/org-gov/03-operations/

I am in the process of fleshing out this description, excerpted from the post GHDR Report 0505: Setting Sail! The Charter and the Mission define the aspirational philosophy of The [...]

2026-09-09T03:04:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/public/org-gov/02-mission/

I am in the process of fleshing out this description, excerpted from the post GHDR Report 0505: Setting Sail! Now that Purpose, Roles, and Ship’s Charter is roughly defined, I can now define [...]

2026-09-09T02:44:47Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/public/org-gov/01-charter/

I am in the process of fleshing out this description, excerpted from the post GHDR Report 0505: Setting Sail! In my universe, a Charter establishes the philosophical guidelines for why The [...]

2026-09-08T23:10:29Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/public/dscafe-ops/coworking-group/

About Freelancers, Inc Accessing Freelancers, Inc This room is observable by all, but only members of #freelancers-inc can post. If you’d like to join, post in #chat or [...]

2026-09-07T20:27:44Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0909/

SUMMARY // After shrinking my goals to match what I’m actually capable of doing in a day, I’ve been making steadier progress. Pretending I’m a cat also helps when I need to pounce on [...]

2026-09-04T23:39:28Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0904/

Howdy howdy! It’s been quite a while since I’ve written any journal updates, as I’ve been regularly posting only in the Groundhog Day Resolutions (GHDR) section regularly. So, here’s what’s been happening [...]

2026-09-01T05:00:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/portfolio/main-index/

Portfolio Main Index Much of my design work is focused on composing dense information so it is easier to use at-a-glance. My older interactive work was more about creating clean graphics on the [...]

2026-08-23T14:45:11Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.08.23/

Mrah! I said I wasn’t going to write anything but I’m at the library with a friend and we’re practicing writing stories! So I’m going to write about the story of a cat named Sri, her human friend Ellie, and [...]

2026-08-21T21:59:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.08.21/

Mrah!!! I have been so busy but haven’t realized it! It has been one of those weeks where the “simple outcome” I want turns out to have their OWN wants, and those wants have their OWN [...]

2026-08-20T22:40:20Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.08.20/

Mrah! I totally forgot to write my story update yesterday, but that was because I was busy with a surprise job opportunity that I found very appealing but also quite different from what I’ve done [...]

2026-08-18T09:30:35Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.08.18/

Mrah! Another day of dealing with the double whammy of NOT ENOUGH SLEEP and RUNNING MULTIPLE ERRANDS . Such days always seem to exact a heavy toll on my ability to be focused and alert. It’s around 10PM now, [...]

2026-08-17T21:16:25Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.08.17/

Mrah! It’s late! I’m sleepy! I demand attention and tribute! But there’s no one to provide me with these things, so I suppose I will have to pay tribute to myself. Harrumph! “You got a good chunk of stuff done [...]

2026-08-16T15:05:22Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/primers/zulip-custom-css/

Zulip doesn’t support theming but if you use the Desktop App you can upload a custom CSS file. Unfortunately, there is little documentation on customizing the CSS, and the Zulip app itself [...]

2026-08-16T12:54:38Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.08.16/

The late afternoon sun had started to sink behind the pines when Sri the Cat noticed. She had been sitting in her patio food garden reading a chapter of The Kamogawa Food Detectives . She [...]

2026-08-15T12:41:58Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.08.15/

Mrah! Saturday! A chance to recover from yesterday’s unproductive day! Looking back at it, the main achievement was making the rungs of a Software Ladder that are one of the paths toward being competitive in [...]

2026-08-14T20:18:22Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.08.14/

Sri yawned mightily, shaking the brain fog from her head. She had made the mistake of eating two huge slices of locally-baked white bread slathered with imported French butter. It had tasted amazing [...]

2026-08-13T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/primers/meetings/family-standup/

General Goals A “family standup meeting” is a regular time to synchronize family members in several ways: a regular time to server as the “anchor” for the day communicate goals and needs [...]

2026-08-12T09:44:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/001/26.08.12-prelude/

“It’s a fine day to start a new life!” exclaimed Sri as she opened the window of her makeshift cottage. The woods outside were bright and teeming with birds noisily going about their business, [...]

2026-08-11T01:50:01Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/missions/about-missions/

Excerpted from GHDR Report 0505: Setting Sail Establishing Mission In my universe, a Mission is a set of strategic goals for a ship, the stars toward which the Ship sails. Missions are set for a period of time, [...]

2026-08-11T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/stories/about-stories/

A Cozy Place for Narrating The Cat’s Journey When I was starting to implement The Ship storyline, it became clear that I needed to start small from very humble beginnings. The things that I am doing every day are [...]

2026-08-04T07:20:19Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0808/

SUMMARY // After trying out my June Master Plan, I noticed a mismatch in scale between my daily tasks and the epic reach of my strategy. As a result, everything I did seemed insignificant! So, I’m [...]

2026-07-20T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/favorites/graphic-resources/

Looking off the beaten path of stock toward smaller providers. I haven’t yet vetted these. The Queue Kitchen Sink Envato Elements is 16.50/month (annually) or 39/month. Pond5 works on [...]

2026-07-20T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/memo/ai/ai-statement/

Here is my hot take AI statement : AI is useful when you are too tired to think or don’t want to, which means you should be taking a rest instead of using AI AI is reliable for determining what the average person [...]

2026-07-17T19:55:20Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/groups/about-groups/

Excerpted from GHDR Report 0505: Setting Sail Creating Opportunities for Invitation Expeditions, Campaigns, and Sorties are all ways describing different levels of project scope, which I think of in terms of these main [...]

2026-07-16T01:45:08Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/memo/webdev/tufte-css/example/

This is a port of the TufteCSS (with several adaptations) to the Eleventy static site generator build system. It’s implemented as a bunch of custom shortcodes for Nunjucks templating. Adapted from Dave [...]

2026-07-15T00:03:48Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/expeditions/about-expeditions/

Excerpted from GHDR Report 0505: Setting Sail As it happens, I already have a system based on the concept of Expeditions, Campaigns, and Sorties . This maps well onto the idea of a Ship, I feel. [...]

2026-07-15T00:03:12Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/charters/about-charters/

Excerpted from GHDR Report 0505: Setting Sail Establishing a Charter In my universe, a Charter establishes the philosophical guidelines for why The Ship even exists and how it operates. It answers these questions: [...]

2026-07-07T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0707/

SUMMARY // After burning three weeks writing the last Groundhog Day Resolutions report, there are a lot of new things to put in motion. I am taking time, though, to replenish my energy.

2026-06-07T22:05:16Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/trope/asymmetric-productivity/

Asymmetric Productivity Doctrine is an idea I got from listening to way too many SF Humanity, Fuck Yeah! (HFY) stories on YouTube. A common trope is these stories is how Elder Alien races of [...]

2026-06-06T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0606/

SUMMARY // A new productivity story begins! I’m choosing approaches that I think work better for my quirky neurodivergent traits without alienating others. Fingers crossed.

2026-05-31T20:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/project/web-revival/2026/0531-wrg-proposal/

WHAT IS THE WEB REVIVAL GROUP? Do you miss when the Internet was personal and filled with surprises? Our proposed group is a “show-and-tell” gathering for people who are making their [...]

2026-05-05T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0505/

SUMMARY // To overcome my severe allergy to marketing, I have reframed my business and online activities as a “ship that sails through the oceans of human interaction.” Exciting and scary!

2026-04-30T21:19:06Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0430/

SUMMARY // In April, I had to admit that logical motivation alone was not translating into action. Was it a misalignment of task with personal values? Or maybe I was simply allergic to marketing?

2026-04-27T17:46:53Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/squirk/brain-recursion-fatigue-factors/

Why do I get so physically tired whenever facing a task that I don’t really want to do? I was having a bad day, and ran this prompt through Claude Sonnet 4.6 [...]

2026-04-23T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/srikin/the-ship/

The Ship is the mobile version of The Colony . A moving version of The Colony is more inline with what I want to do: - have a mission and a charter like the Enterprise on Star Trek - serve as an exploration vessel with [...]

2026-04-04T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0404/

SUMMARY // I’m making positive-but-slow progress due to my lack of sparkly motivation. Conjecture: Am I using the wrong “framing of my strengths” out of pride? Dare I say what they actually [...]

2026-04-02T16:05:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/catalog/word-counting-calendar/

2026-04-02T16:05:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/catalog/task-progress-tracker/

2026-04-02T16:05:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/catalog/task-order-up/

2026-04-02T16:05:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/catalog/fast-book-outliner/

2026-04-02T16:05:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/catalog/emergent-task-timer/

2026-04-02T16:05:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/catalog/emergent-task-planner/

2026-04-02T16:05:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/catalog/day-grid-balancer/

2026-04-02T16:05:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/catalog/concrete-goals-tracker/

2026-04-02T16:05:21Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/catalog/compact-calendar/

2026-03-27T14:55:25Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/squirk/sri-kindred-fields/

I was looking for a word that described my innate push to be"noisy-yet-endearing", and looked up “animus” as possible descriptor. This is a word that applies to males in Jungian psychology referring [...]

2026-03-25T14:29:33Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/squirk/autonomy/

For effective autonomy, the basic condition is that if you have strong bonds with your chosen family behind you and have the resources to thrive, you are doing okay and are surviving in a relatively secure [...]

2026-03-24T15:59:58Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/reaction/jacke-conte/death-of-the-follower/

In 2024 creator Jack Conte Disclosure: I love Jack Conte because I think he’s a genuine, passionate, transparent creator that advocates for creators. He is part of our internet [...]

2026-03-15T17:16:40Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/memo/indie/independent-maker/

This is a collection of notes on creating a satisfying economic pocket universe as a frustrated maker. The big constraint is that I’m a stubborn neurodivergent weirdo. The assumption is that I will [...]

2026-03-03T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0303/

SUMMARY // In this month’s report, I explore the anxieties that hold me back. A review of Pathological Demand Avoidance (also known as Persistent Drive for Autonomy) reveals significant overlap [...]

2026-02-26T11:25:38Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0226/

SUMMARY // I have made a Dark Mode Zulip custom CSS file for the Zulip Desktop App that removes visual clutter and improves the contrast. You may find it a useful starting place for customizing your own [...]

2026-02-25T22:34:07Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/toolshed/zulip/about-custom-css/

I’ve written about this code in Customizing Zulip CSS Dark Mode . You can copy/paste it below, or inspect the raw file . Features optimized for dark mode, with rudimentary light mode fallback [...]

2026-02-14T10:51:12Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0214/

SUMMARY // Part 3 of my Groundhog Day Resolutions Kickoff series sets the questions, directives, metrics, processes, and structures for 2026. Largely picking up where I left off [...]

2026-02-11T12:11:53Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0211/

SUMMARY // Continuing from last year’s review, part 2 of my GHDR Kickoff proposes several questions and directives to explore for 2026.

2026-02-02T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0202/

SUMMARY // I contracted COVID-19 in January, so I’m starting this year’s Groundhog Day Resolutions with a series of posts to accomodate my limited working energy. Today is a [...]

2026-01-23T16:50:47Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0123/

SUMMARY // Sri flops on Recurse Center, gets COVID the day after, and tries to make up with lots of good curry. Finally added COMMENTS to my Eleventy site too!

2026-01-13T21:37:14Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0113/

SUMMARY // I’m starting my yearly planning on January 13 in preparation for Groundhog Day Resolutions! Maybe others are interested in joining in?

2026-01-09T17:23:58Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0109/

SUMMARY // The DS|CAFE Discord Server now uses the native “Community Server” onboarding system, which required a massive conversion effort of all documentation. I’m pleased with how it came out.

2026-01-06T22:53:59Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0106/

SUMMARY // For 2026, Sri will be posting new blog posts on Tuesday and Fridays! This is the first simple post to just get the conversation rolling.

2026-01-06T17:49:12Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/concept/theory-of-community/

raw notes excerpted from dscafe-operations The focus of DS|CAFE An important limit I put on myself in DS|CAFE is that I am NOT providing a service to members for their convenience. I am creating a [...]

2025-12-13T19:37:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2025/1313/

Postmortem Day is January 13! A new GHDR rule is that 13/13 (technically the 12 month of GHDR) is POSTMORTEM DAY Since there are only 12 months in a year, month 13 is simply January. Anyway, my postmortem format [...]

2025-12-13T19:37:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2025/1212/

SUMMARY // Groundhog Day Resolutions 18 ends strongly! The December report summarizes what I made during “The Month of Building” as I reboot my design business.

2025-12-05T20:04:38Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1205/

SUMMARY // The final MONTH OF BUILDING CHALLENGE post is a first draft of a freelance services page. I’ll post a summary of all 30 days on December 12.

2025-12-04T15:16:57Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1204/

SUMMARY // I updated my PDF tool to generate the 365-page ETP Journal. Free for supporters on Patreon, $10 otherwise.

2025-12-03T19:57:46Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1203/

SUMMARY // The Mini Emergent Task Planner notebooks (5.8 x 8.5 inch) have appeared on my Amazon listing, whew. That kicks off other e-commerce related activities!

2025-11-26T14:11:53Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1126/

SUMMARY // The holiday season is here! Taking a week-long break to let my relax by not having to make something every day.

2025-11-25T13:18:23Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1125/

SUMMARY // I used gathering-style productivity today, as deep work wasn’t possible while waiting for a phone call from my mechanic.

2025-11-24T12:40:07Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1124/

SUMMARY // We are doing a “Freelancer Coworking” experiment in the DS|CAFE Discord server for a week. Will it give isolated freelancers a sense of support?

2025-11-20T15:35:44Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1120/

SUMMARY // A quickie “personal card” design will give me something to hand out to people I meet. It emphasizes personal warmth on the front, and data on the back.

2025-11-19T12:44:04Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1119/

SUMMARY // Production update on Mini Emergent Task Planner Notebooks!

2025-11-18T22:20:18Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1118/

SUMMARY // Today’s sharepiece is the minimum viable prototype for the Word Counting Calendar. Grab the November and December 2025 prototypes.

2025-11-17T21:49:02Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1117/

SUMMARY // Skip Day! I tagged along with my buddy Sid to visit The Brickyard Collaborative, a makerspace in Lynn. Roast beefs were also had!

2025-11-14T17:03:45Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1114/

SUMMARY // Added new layout elements to the Word Counting Calendar code generator. It’s coming along! Still need to implement variable data and conditional layout.

2025-11-13T21:35:46Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1113/

SUMMARY // Today’s sharepiece is progress rendering calendar cells for each month in the right places. Still missing the Word Counting Calendar data! That’s next!

2025-11-12T13:11:54Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1112/

SUMMARY // I used the new Affinity App to make a one-page primer about “magical adventure cats”; they are a narrative device I use for personal development.

2025-11-11T17:18:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2025/1111/

SUMMARY // 20 Days into the 30 Day Challenge for “The Month of Building”. A lot of projects are in motion, and I’m feeling good about the progress so far!

2025-11-10T14:41:51Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1110/

SUMMARY // Progress on drawing the Word Counting Calendar programmatically from parameter data. Getting closer!

2025-11-07T20:38:37Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1107/

SUMMARY // Another skip day, but I managed to add janky word count labels to the PDF renderer then passed out. Bonus thoughts on momentum and loving the journey.

2025-11-06T12:40:11Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1106/

SUMMARY // Today’s progress on the 30 Day Build Challenge is using code to draw a “Pyramid Block” for the Word Counting Calendar! Getting closer!

2025-11-05T17:52:51Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/memo/pdflib/

I’m using the pdf-lib Javascript library to generate PDF files, but the API reference material is not very good for getting a sense of what the library can do at-a-glance. This is my reference cheat sheet (WIP) PDFPage [...]

2025-11-05T14:00:07Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1105/

SUMMARY // Today’s sharepiece is the start of a PDF-LIB API cheatsheet. Info is reorganized into functional groups instead of a useless alphabetical listing.

2025-11-04T20:38:05Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1104/

SUMMARY // A daytrip to Concord, followed by voting in the midterms and a reward meal. No energy left, so I’m declaring today a SKIP DAY of blogging instead of building.

2025-11-03T17:51:16Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1103/

SUMMARY // I wrote a working definition of friendship, as I understand it, after being inspired by K-Pop Demon Hunters this weekend.

2025-11-03T14:05:42Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/concept/theory-of-friendship/

I have been blessed with several best friends through my life, which got me to where I am today. We were comrades! We were silly experiementors! We learned about each other and talked through the [...]

2025-10-31T15:58:24Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1031/

SUMMARY // I’m not feeling well today, so I just ported the minimum PDF page generation code to refamiliarize myself with pdf-lib. Notes follow.

2025-10-30T17:05:14Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1030/

SUMMARY // Working on the Word Counting Calendar layout code. Slow going! I share the drawing code parameterization process.

2025-10-29T12:57:42Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1029/

SUMMARY // I posted the interim Word Counting Calendar for November so writers had something to use while I get my software moving. It’s going slowly.

2025-10-29T00:00:00Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/squirk/traits/

Self-Described “Cognitive Architecture” Broadly speaking: I have autistic traits related to how I process the world differently, leading to communication problems that were undiagnosed for a long time. [...]

2025-10-28T13:15:30Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1028/

SUMMARY // The old NaNoWriMo org is dead, but there’s still demand for Word Counting Calendars! I made a placeholder pdf, and will write software to generate them for the rest of [...]

2025-10-27T13:10:09Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1027/

SUMMARY // Rather than make a business card with my title and areas of expertise, I wanted something that conveyed what interactions I warm up to.

2025-10-24T13:39:17Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1024/

SUMMARY // A mutual design experiment for farmer’s market vendor who needs a business card. We start with some associative questions, and look for the silly parts.

2025-10-23T13:17:45Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1023/

SUMMARY // I check on the progress of The ETP 5885 Mini Notebook at the local commercial printer that makes them. This production run will be the last on Amazon Marketplace.

2025-10-22T14:50:59Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1022/

SUMMARY // I took the last revision of the “activity bingo board” and adjusted it to fit within A4 width, then normalized type sizes and dimensions. I also added C-rank quests.

2025-10-21T15:45:28Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1021/

SUMMARY // I have the final run of 1000 ETP Mini Notebooks in production, but the front cover insert needed name and link updates. Tried Affinity Designer for press-ready work for the first time.

2025-10-20T11:52:11Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1020/

SUMMARY // I’m focusing on creating new design work this week, testing Affinity Design as a replacement for Adobe Illustrator. In Part 1, I work through what an “Activity [...]

2025-10-17T17:56:41Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1017/

SUMMARY // Today’s sharepiece details an unexpected energy crash after four good days of productivity. Was it ADHD? Lack of sleep? Or did I just overdo it?

2025-10-16T12:51:10Z updated or created on https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1016/

SUMMARY // I wanted my autoposts to Mastodon and Bluesky to have a single image, not all the images. Today’s sharepiece is the Eleventy code I hacked up with a nice XSL stylesheet.