Front row tips: Since next weekend is the Qingming Festival, I'm sending this out a week early~
Monthly Notes:#
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Computer Replacement Note
The original company computer was too slow; I initially just wanted to replace it with a slightly faster MacBook, but at the beginning of the month, I was assigned a 40,000 yuan Mac Studio and Apple Studio Display 🫠 transforming into a high-end workhorse... -
Three Visits to the Hospital
March was a month of running to the hospital. In the first half, I went for a scheduled nasal electrocoagulation surgery, and then in the middle of the month, because my cat had been having blood in its urine, I took it to the hospital on the weekend. The vet diagnosed it with bladder stones, and the next day, Teacher K had to go to the emergency room due to a ruptured cyst, staying for 7 days before being discharged... Thankfully, it could be resolved; everything is silent, hoping for peace. -
An Increasingly Strong Minimalist Thought
It started when I was looking for reference images on Pinterest and was attracted by interesting pendant material designs, which reminded me of my profession. So, I asked Deepseek: "I am a brand creative designer; how can I make my daily life beautiful through design?" The response included a bunch of things I could do, the first being to organize my living space using the 'subtraction thinking' of brand design. I thought about how messy my current room is, which doesn't quite align with my personal signature on Weibo for many years: "Manu Moreale: 'Because to me, minimalism is not an objective. It's a tool to achieve a goal.'" So, I plan to declutter this weekend, just like I used the PARA method to organize my computer files before, starting from the initial framework logic to tidy up my room. I hope this organization reflects the externalization of my habits (I recommend a previous episode of a podcast about organization that mentioned some organization methods: 1. If it can be stored vertically, don’t store it horizontally; 2. Use uniform storage tools (hangers, storage boxes); 3. Use trays; 4. Snack space). I believe the key point of decluttering is, If I don't have this item, will my life fall apart? If it is just an enhancement or seasoning in my life, or if its cost-effectiveness in my daily life is high? If not, then its disappearance will increase the pleasure brought by reducing entropy. So, I took action, bought four storage boxes, and during the weekend when Teacher K was hospitalized, I started decluttering, throwing unnecessary clothes and miscellaneous items into the trash, then began organizing systems for the medicine cabinet, toolbox, pet items, etc. During the organizing process, I realized that a sustainable method of organization is to ensure that everything has its place. Regardless of how clean it starts, everything at home needs to be maintained; starting from awareness, let’s cultivate it into a habit. The satisfaction from the tidiness of my home is immense, and my mood has improved significantly.
Monthly Record#
1. Efficiency Tools#
Deta Surf
A new type of browser in the AI era, its highlight is that it can save all (tabs, media, files, etc.) in "stuff," which can be automatically categorized by AI and easily switched to open saved "things." The built-in AI in the browser can chat and take screenshots anytime, anywhere. I just realized I got the beta code last December, and it has now been updated to version 0.4.3. I tried it out, and it’s okay, but the shortcut keys and plugin features are not yet complete; looking forward to future updates.
Image Color Extraction Gradient Tool
A tool that extracts colors from images and generates blurred gradient images; it looks quite interesting and suitable for certain possible scenarios.
Pixelated MacOS Icons
A set of pixel-style custom macOS icons, still not complete, and the author is updating it.
Folder Clipper
A quick access tool that resides in the upper right corner of the status bar, making it easy to find frequently used folders and providing a series of professional features, such as design asset previews, video workflow enhancements, and format conversions. This software is great, and the customization options are rich.
SumBuddy
A browser plugin that uses its own AI model to customize your assistant prompt, just right to use the API key from Deepseek that I bought earlier to answer some English articles I see. This human language translator that also uses Deepseek is quite interesting; it can interpret content that is hard to understand by right-clicking and using the plugin.
PostSpark - Beautify Screenshots
An online tool to generate beautiful screenshot cards; you can also upload links to automatically take screenshots. It looks great; the image above is one I customized, much more exquisite than the one taken with HapiGo, but unfortunately, it’s only a browser plugin. If there were software, it would be great to quickly open and use it with a shortcut key on any interface.
reve.art
A recently released AI image generation tool, its highlight is its focus on aesthetics. I tried it, and it’s quite good; new users can generate 100 images for free.
Recommended Items List
A list shared by a netizen of products they are using, covering kitchen supplies, digital products, fitness, daily necessities, and more. With patience, you can find some good products. In addition, they also shared their virtual product subscription list.
Popiranslate
A translation tool. Its highlight is that it can translate selected text across platforms; just select the text, and a translation box pops up. However, the hapigo I’m currently using can also meet the same need; you can call it out with a shortcut key after selecting the text. The difference may be in the translation model; currently, Pop's options seem better, but it comes at a different price, haha.
PixZip Lite
Quickly and free compress images; there are actually many useful online compression tools, and local applications may just be slightly more efficient.
2. Text Gains#
2024 Shareholder Letter.pdf
Warren Buffett
94-year-old Warren Buffett has written another annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway's shareholders, but he is unsure if this will be his last letter.
Little Secrets to a Happy Life: Rediscovering the Beauty Around Us
Tali Sharot
Good things come slowly, and painful things should be done quickly. ==“Conversely, when faced with unpleasant tasks, such as chores or tedious paperwork, it’s better to get them done in one go. Research shows that listening to the noise of a vacuum cleaner continuously is more bearable than stopping several times. Continuous listening dulls the pain; stopping and starting again resets the annoyance each time the noise occurs, reviving it. So, it’s better to swallow the bad things whole, without dragging it out.”==
Not Assessing Candidates' 'AI Skills'? You Might Miss Out on Future Talent!
Baoyu
Recently, many job descriptions have added "proficient in using AI tools." The author believes the following skills are necessary:
Prompt Engineering Ability: Knowing how to ask questions in the best way (Prompt) to guide AI to output efficiently.
Content Evaluation Ability: Knowing whether the content generated by AI is reliable and being able to effectively verify and optimize it.
Proficient Use of AI Tools: Familiar with how to use AI tools and able to quickly get started with various AI tools.
Task Decomposition Ability: Knowing which tasks are suitable for AI and which aspects should be controlled by oneself.
Business Scenario Application Ability: Knowing how to use AI to truly improve work efficiency.
Rapid Learning Ability: Able to keep up with the fast-paced iteration of AI technology.
The original text also includes examples from specific professional fields and several sample interview questions worth a look.
Understanding the Current AI Revolution - Jike
Mu Yao
An explanation of current AI that is quite easy to understand; ==witnessing the large-scale skill migration between the old and new worlds in this torrent, and the emergence of new boundaries after the torrent washes away, may be the most interesting experience of this moment.==
3. Design Related#
Chenyu Luoyan Font 2.0
The free and open-source handwritten font has been updated to version 2.0, great 👍
TOOOOOOLS.APP
A free image effect tool that allows you to upload images and adjust them into pixel art, line art, dithering effects, retro pixel effects, and more, supporting PNG format export.
Branding Process — HKU, School of Computing & Data Science
BrandCraft created the complete design and promotion process for the brand image of the School of Computing and Data Science at the University of Hong Kong. A great case study in brand design.
SVG-LOGO
A collection of vector logos from domestic brands.
4. Other Interesting Items#
- Recommended Tools for AI Workflows - Jike, Master Awen compiled a detailed and comprehensive list of tools used from text-to-image to image-to-video.
- Regarding the topic of failure, I listened to Steve's podcast latest episode, one takeaway is, how to face failure, how to reflect on it, and how to learn from failure is beneficial for establishing, confirming, and validating values.
- Workspaces shares desk setups from around the world every week, elegant and inspiring.
- Ghibli Style Podcast Video uses images of Ghibli-style characters generated by AI + a piece of audio to convert into a voiceover video, which looks quite good and avoids the issue of appearing on camera.
- Excellent Cases of AI to 3D uses AI to generate exploded views, then converts to 3D in Blender, which is quite clever and solves the problem of further refinement.
- AI Tool Navigation a rich list of AI-related tools, focusing on convenience in finding them.
- Forever Notes an information management system based on the phone's built-in memo app; if set up, it seems quite good. The core technique is to make good use of tags and note links. Overall, after trying it out, it seems to conflict a bit with my current PARA folder management method, but there are several techniques that can be adapted.
- An Experience Sharing from Product Development to Being Selected by the App Store to Product Failure the realistic conclusion is, without money, there is no motivation.
That's all. Thank you for reading. Feel free to subscribe to my blog, and I recommend using follow to read my rss. Also, thank you for the likes and comments that give me some encouragement.
WeChat: guonlin
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