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I received an email from a prospective client and want to share exactly what they’re struggling with, so you know you’re not the only one…

Team Size: 7 people

The Core Problem: The team spends more time fighting with software and chasing each other for information than talking to clients or growing the business. No time left for video marketing.

Current Tech Stack & Friction Points:

• Internal Communication: Scattered across chaotic WhatsApp group chats and Microsoft Teams (which constantly breaks and fails).

• Project Management: Paying for Asana because we were told to, but it sits as an expensive ghost town that nobody uses.

• Email: Core company communications are on Microsoft 365, but the inbox is overflowing and being misused as a task tracker.

• Content Creation: We want to utilize our iPhones for social media video marketing, but zero content gets made due to operational time drain.

Goal: Strip away the redundant tools, stop the internal information hunt, and build a frictionless system so I can focus back on clients and content.

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten back on the saddle. And even worse, done any work relating to my… business!

So starting with the podcast was the best way for me to start my business back up, again, with more videos/podcast episodes coming down the line very soon.

With that, I’ve also updated the website About and Work pages to reflect the direction I’ll be taking moving forward.

You’re the first to hear about this, and you’re welcome to share it, I’ll do the push on social media once I’m 100% ready… right now I’m only 93.27% ready.

Anyhow, here’s the podcast.

Why the absolute FUCK does every FUCKING editor or ‘content creator’ feel the FUCKING need to start their videos with a FUCKING zoom effect?!

STOP THAT SHIT YOU CUNTS!!

You all look like FUCKING sheep!!!

Do better…

“I am so good at what I do, and my business engines are so structurally sound, that I don’t even need to be on the internet to survive”

…then win!

Here’s how…

How do I cool down my phone when it’s too hot to handle and slow as f**k in this heat?

Oh that’s easy… Use a shop fan!

How do you cool yours?

Reasons. Don’t judge.

@kiakamgar

It’s vitally important to have an About page, as well as a way for people to contact you with a Contact page.

However, this whole ‘/now’ page thing I find a little stale, boring, and at times lame.

But I might as well join the wonderful ‘movement’ so I set one up with something that won’t ever go out of date or be lame!

It’s my way of saying, I want to be with the cool kids and not be left out of this great fantastic super groovy idea.

Behold, my very own super awesome unicorn dust of a… /now  page.

No.

Reply to Cedric.

I hate dark more. It’s no secret. I’ve written about it in the past. But I do see the need for people to have the option. So I added it to my site.

However, you have to be a special kind of cunt if your website is dark mode only!

How the fucking cunty fuck can someone read that shit in the day when it’s bright outside with the sun shining on the fucking screen?!

And don’t give me the childish shitty excuse of waiting to get inside.

I realised that people NEEDED the ability to have dark mode, so I added it. You on the other hand are a special kind of cunt in thinking that dark mode only is ‘cool’.

Do better, cunt!

I just read that a couple of days ago Pika announced the ability to add custom code. You can’t do too much, but a few things are possible.

So today with a little bending of some (coding) rules, I was able to add the Bubbles upvote widget to my posts.

After replacing the leaking fuel pump yesterday, today I had the pleasure of fixing (or I thought) the steering-pulling-to-the right problem.

I’ve always preferred the ‘cleaner’ look of a black and white site in light mode! I do however have a love/ hate relationship with dark mode websites/app etc.

The ‘love’ part is that I understand the need.
The ‘hate’ part is that they often look pants!

I woke up this morning in the back of the truck to a mosquito buzzing around my head. So I flipped open my laptop.

OH DEAR GOD!
MY EYES!!!!

Ok, I get it now! I need to ‘dark mode’ my site. But what colours do I use? I’m no designer and every time I try it looks pants!

Check a few sites I like…
Found it!!!

Why not copy a site (Bubbles) I frequent every single day. that’s it, it’s perfect! so now let’s copy (ahem, borrow) the #1E1D1B & #DFDDD9 and paste it in!

Great!
It works!!

I think :-|

It was HOT.
Like, REALLY HOT.
But I LOVED IT!

Yeah I know, I use it. But I use Brave to watch things… so no ads!

But today Brave did an update (1.91.178) and it plastered ads all over the place!

I know it’ll get fixed, but what got my goat wasn’t Brave, but the amount of ads on even the shortest of videos!

Hence why (one of many reasons) I point people to my Odysee profile rather than my YouTube channel.

YouTube is good for being found, but sucks for embedding and watching (without an ad blocker)

I’ve been off social media for a while. I do dip into one of the platforms now and again, but my blog is where I do my posting.

My online reading is via my RSS reader, Bubbles, Bear blog discovery, and Pika Pulse. The latter is new, and in beta.

We all know that social media platforms are powered by an algorithm. We also know that their main function is to keep you on the platform for ads.

So why bother shouting or attention while fighting an algorithm and have ai scrap your work and have no one see it?

But then again, why post in your blog, on your own domain/platform, for the same result?!

For me, I post to share and get tings off my chest. I don’t post to gain followers.

So having little to no interaction doesn’t mean someone (or many) aren’t reading and enjoying your art.

Ask yourself this… Do you interact with every blog post YOU read?

Just keep doing you.

I’ve had an email list for years, mostly for my business. But it’s time to consolidate my output and get rid of the old list.

Couple of things…

Agree with the RSS thing, however my workflow is: RSS ‘as my social media’.

I left social media but kept YouTube (for reasons), and 𝕏 (just because, but very rarely read/interact) so have my RSS app (Reeder) honed to what I want to be ‘exposed’ to.

And yes, reading in the RSS app doesn’t bring the personality of the writer, but it does help me to have a single place to see everything.

So my ‘flow’ is to scroll/read within the app and open things that intrigue me, like your post ;-)

Regarding the iPhone, I’m this close [visual of my thumb and finger an atom apart] to getting rid of mine, getting an iPad mini with a SIM, reviving my old original red Nokia 8210 and calling it a day.

That way I have a phone for emergencies, and a ‘computer’ to do the things I need to without being chained to a smartphone that’s invading my head space.

Smartphones have become this thing that we NEED to have.

I disagree.

I come from the time of Rolodex, pen, paper, and floppy disks, so going back to a simpler time with the occasional tech use is what I’m trying accomplish.

This is a reply to a post by Jon.

I AM A CREATOR!

The less you fight that word, the more you… create!

I’ll be setting up a community, and looking around to see what’s possible.

Will use the platform to paywall some contents (exclusives, previews etc.)

It’ll be interesting.

I know the ‘blog’ crowd will shit on this, but some of my followers have asked to support my work.

So it’s nice to be able give them something extra for their kindness.

Support me on Ko-Fi

My first idea of leaving social media and all its shitdoms was the better idea.

So back to having my own feeds and platforms etc.

This workflow a great way for me to write and have a single place for all my output, I can then decide where best it should be posted.

macjunky.com

I can’t even bring myself to capitalise companies, or tech, I despise. And this horseshit of a company has gone down the shit-hole in a big way.

Yes, I’m talking about the crap they were talking at their i/o conference. I won’t go into it too much as others have made better posts about it.

But let’s just say I’m glad I never drunk the google cool-aid, so luckily not stuck in their shit eco-system.

Yes, I have a google account for me youtube channel, and even though I do upload (for reach, unfortunately) I don’t advertise it as I prefer the better platform Odysee.

And there are plenty of search engines, browsers and workspace suites one could use that are better, and actually do respect your privacy.

So now is the time to switch.

The whole tech landscape is just turning into geeks wanking all over themselves for control of the ‘next big thing’ that no one wants or needs.

Fuck them and their miserable lives.

This morning my alarm didn’t fire off so I woke up late. Sucks, but not a biggie.

However, it does slow my day down a bit when my routine is scuppered by a tech bug.

Now I’ve setup several (excessive) alarms to go off every 30 mins so I don’t snooze for too long.

It’s crazy that this bug isn’t being looked at by Apple.

With some MASIVE holes in time.

I think I’ve found a way to write more.

Not only in my journal, but tor my online blog and getting my thoughts out of my head.

Not everything needs to be shared.

But having a single place where I can write will help me pick what should go where.

This thing was dismantled and moved from the old workshop.

It’s huge, old and simply amazing.

Old analog things always work for years!

It’s so big I can’t get the whole thing in frame.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a Podcast. The last time was when I was making daily videos and porting the audio over as an episode.

I want to make a habit of creating again, this is the first step. But I’m not sure if I should bring back the old episodes, or start all over again.

It’s for every piece of tech you have. Especially the ones that you interact with every single day.

This is my iPhone. I still have an iPhone XS Max and I’m happy with it. It does everything I need.

But what I don’t ‘need’ is a screen filled with a bunch of notifications, distractions and app bloat whenever I need to use it.

Keep IT Simple. Isn’t just a simple tagline. It’s a statement to help you understand the fundamental reason why you should simplify.

I’m hosting an online Mac Productivity Workshop so signup and get started!

Life is full of chapters. And it’s up to you to understand when they cross your path and embrace them with vigorous happiness.

This past week it’s been quiet on the blog as I was working on a few things to move forward into the next chapter of my life.

And after being in tech for over 35 years and running various tech-related businesses successfully, I’ve realised I need to move on.

Now the cabin is a little quieter when I’m driving!

I did have a proper original ‘hood carpet’, but due to the diesel heater fire and the transmission oil that went everywhere, it needed replacing.

The first step was taken, now the finale…

I’m not a ‘pro’ gamer, but I do love playing on my Xbox. And have played the same [series of] game[s] since 2001.

But I’ve always kept my professional, personal and gamer life separate, for no reason other than I felt one would never be interested in the other.

After the break down in France then delivery of the truck back to me in Holland via my car service over a month ago, Chuck is working again.

And I’m a little pissed off as to the reason why it’s taken so freaking long!

This morning I woke up with no power in the truck. The fridge was off and I had no heat to wake up to so that I could get dressed in comfort.

It sucks!

The power unit I have is an ETaker M2000, but at this point it’s pretty much unusable due to the issues I’ve had with it.

After trying to contact the company and getting nowhere, I’m going to publicise my experience with them and the unit.

I wrote the obligatory cheesy ‘goodbye’ post…

Above, strips for a baseplate.

After months, if not years, of putting off removing myself from the platform, today I decided to just pull the band-aid and do it.

First we had to cut the steal square tubing for platform to size so the H-Beam going across to the other side of the ban can rest on.

We then created a sandwich between two sink plated steel beams on both sides of the barn to hold the platform we cut earlier this morning. 

For me, the main point of a blog is to share your thoughts, ideas, world view of life and the things around you.

Everything else is fluff.

So why have a bunch of links in a header that can distract the reader?

At the Tech Minimalist, and MacJunky, my job to help coaches and consultants simplify their tech stack, so that they’re not swimming is ‘friction frustration’.

However, that is easier said than done.

Not because they don’t need it but because the current system they’ve used has become a habit they can’t be changed easily.

I too had that problem. Just take a look at the picture above…

The work is easy until you hit a snag. You see, we needed to fix the squeaking brakes but we found the wheel studs were fucked.

All of them!

I read a great post by Kev and replied via email.

In that email I wrote a few lines I thought would be great to share with you…

It’s a great day, so why the hell not!

My VDS was down for secluded maintenance by the provide. But it was down longer than expected, it can happen.

When it came back up, I had issues logging in via SSH, that sucked! Was able to get back by frantically trying to figure out what had happened.

Not worries, shit happens. But I got back in!

Then tried to send out a newsletter. Nope, port 587 was blocked.

Blocked?! How?! What the hell is going on?!

Well, not quite.

That’s a song by A Tribe Called Quest.

But I did forget my phone in my truck when I went for groceries on my bike. I was almost there when I turned around.

Half way back, I thought to myself…

Wait a sec, why the fuck am I going back to get it when I have an actual wallet, with real money in it!!!

Unfortunately, work had to take a backseat so we could progress the barn. There are few more things do be done, like lights and accessories, but the front is done!

I got fed up with ’leasing’ software and paying through the nose for SaaS products, so I spun up a VDS and got to work.

The main thing I needed was the ability to send my email newsletter without breaking the bank. So just the SMTP part of an email server.

Listening, reading and watching the ’tech bros’ talking about how hard it is to get ’email right’ scared me away from learning something I wanted.

But the only way to truly learn is to ‘do, break then fix’.

After the transmission issue, which I now believe was the fault of the cooler lines that a fucking idiot (not me) installed… I now have an issue with having to replace the oil cooler and hoses too!

It was a beautiful morning while installing these works of art. Over the years there have been 250 installed. I’ve helped with 40 this past last year.

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST – social media is such a shit show!!!

I’ve stopped using social media for a while now, but after ‘checking in’ to see what’s going on I got filled with absolute rage!

I actually deleted everything except 𝕏 and LinkedIn, for ’news’ and ‘business’ respectively, but fuck me, it’s such a shit show!

I’m stocked that it’s back!

Now I gotta get working on pulling the transmission to see what the actual problem is.

Although I’m happy it’s back, I’m not happy with the issues I’ve found in the engine bay.

As I’m 99.9% sure it wasn’t like this when I left it in France!

Will do some diagnosis on the whole thing when I have some time.

Right now, I’m helping build barns, lamp posts and concrete pillars for my cousin’s museum.

Here’s the thing… You don’t have to have a Dock full of apps t be productive.

Heck, you don’t even have to run all the apps you have on your Mac at the same time to get your work done efficiently.

The above image is my desktop. It’s clean, the Dock has everything I need 98% of the time, and it helps me focus.

After years of working on a Mac, for my business and personally, I’ve managed to understand that having more isn’t the best way of doing things.

‘More’ makes things complicated.
‘More’ has a way of getting in the way.
‘More’ is the opposite of productivity.

Think about it this way… If you have a messy desk, or work bench, all you be able to do your work be easier, or will things get in the way?

If you’re honest with yourself, you know what the real answer is. The how I decided on my current Mc Desktop and Dock.

It helps me focus on what needs to be done as efficiently as possible without second guessing.

So, you can do more with less. And, as always… Keep IT Simple.

Well, it seems Apple are on a mission to release new things, quietly. And today, it’s the MacBook Neo.

I like the idea of a cheaper MacBook for schools, but the Neo isn’t for everyone. Unless you only want to use it for emails or very light ‘work’.

The issue I have is that the Apple ecosystem is becoming so convoluted and messy.

Yeah, you’re welcome to call me old and ‘stuck in your ways’ but does anyone else seriously think their line up is simple?

And please don’t get me started on the iPhone line up!

Anyhoo, if your kids need a new MacBook, this is it.

Need some advice for a new Mac? As the MacJunky!

I’ve been ‘radio silent’ for a little while, so here’s an update…

Spain

You may have seen some of my emails/posts while I was in Spain. Man it was a great trip.

Truth be told, I wish I was still there. But alas, I had to come back for a project and to help my cousin build the barn.

I love the fact that that I’m not fixed to a location, so can help where I can and enjoy the moment.

Oh, one little nugget of information about ‘coming back’… the truck broke down in France!

AAGGHH!!

It took me many long walks, 1 coach, 1 bus, 1 taxi, 2 hire cars and 4 days to get back to NL!

I’m waiting for the ANWB to bring the truck back to me so I can work on it. It should be here in a few days.

Yeah annoying, but life is an adventure… so live it!

Last summer before I went to Spain, I helped my cousin build the barn as much as possible.

He did a lot while I was away!

Now that I’m back, we’re going full steam in getting the walls in place before we move on to the windows.

It’s looking real good!

The full quote is actually…

“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

Meaning the bonds you choose run deeper than the ones you were born into.

Some people just conveniently cut the quote in half to keep you in line.

They need them to assess whether the truck is ‘worth’ the cost of towing it back to Holland.

So fucking pissed about this because they go by year of the vehicle and how many KMs on the clock.

I told them it’s a classic car and worth upwards of 30k, so they’ve asked for photos.

Fucking livid!!

Had early lunch from this place while I wait for ANWB to sort out a hire car for me. Nice fresh French baguette and meat.

After yesterday’s breakdown, maybe this will bring me good luck?

‘Find a penny pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck’

Something like that. Let’s hope so. I really could do with some good fortune.

Although, this isn’t a penny, so who the fuck knows!

Today was a travel day and it started really well.

But the truck broke down on the motorway in France as I was making my way back to Den Helder.

Even the solar panel in my view doesn’t ruin it.

I think I’ll stay here for the weekend and start to make my way back to Den Helder on Monday.

Filled up. Saw an awesome Beetle. Filled the gas tank. And found a beautiful place by the trees on hop of a hill to sleep for the night.

Sounds like a gun range below where I am as they’ve been firing off shots since I’ve been here.

I actually don’t mind it!

It’s been a chilled day. Actually looking forward to getting back.

But I wish I could stay longer. Lack of money is the problem.