A compact spaceship from the game No Man's Sky, ready to launch
GHDR Report 0404: Shrinking The Execution Gap
https://dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/0404/
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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 are out loud?
#GHDR
Holy crap, Jack Conte's presentation at SXSW 2026 hits all the points that I, as a frustrated creator in the age of AI, needed to watch. Incredible and insightful.
Relevant to #indieweb and #openweb from the human side of things, what we want to make possible.
www.youtube.com/live/Ue9-zkA...
But despite that lack of interest/understanding from, I still crave some kind of connection because that's the point of making amazing stuff. This is what I think my spiral looks like. My current experiment is to test if shallow rather than deep connection will help raise energy.
A second factor is that my "make amazing stuff" goal what I want to do, but everything gets in the way and drains energy. And it feels that few people are interested in it, because it's too multi-domain for people to actually see. After years of this, it's hard to maintain optimism.
For me, it is a struggle to have the energy to push through the pile of things I need to survive, but also to make amazing stuff beyond my current grasp. Doing it alone under chronic disruption is hard mode, and it is a huge emotional regulation problem that I have to manage.
Customizing Zulip CSS Dark Mode
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0226/
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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 Zulip CSS. [...]
A large stuffed bar is sitting in a small model of a Wright Flyer biplane, suspended from a tall ceiling in the I-93 Southbound Rest Area in Hookset, New Hampshire. The text says "Groundhog Day Resolutions 2026 February 14 Launch!"
I've posted my official planning post for Groundhog Day Resolutions 2026 (year 19!) Maybe the 19th time is the charm...
dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/02...
An iHealth COVID-19 antibody rapid test result, showing extremely high results.
Happy Groundhog Resolutions Day! I'm still recovering from COVID so I'm splitting up my kickoff post into multiple parts; the plan is to make the final version a valentine to myself on February 14 😅
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dsriseah.com/ghdr/2026/02...
Three containers of food from a Mr Bento vacuum lunch jar. One contains yellow pickled daikon. One contains Japanese curry with rice. One contains blanched brocolli.
Comments Systems and Covid-19
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0123/
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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!
Groundhog Day Resolutions Postmortem Day!
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0113/
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I'm starting my yearly planning on January 13 in preparation for Groundhog Day Resolutions! Maybe others are interested in joining in?
Question 1 of 4: Beyond our core chat rooms, are you interested in Sharing Geeky Interests, Coworking by Profession, Following Member Projects, Discussion in Depth?
Updates to DS|CAFE Onboarding!
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0109/
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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 Blogging Schedule: First Post!
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2026/0106/
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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.
Hooray!!! I’m so glad you’ve made it part of your yearly ritual!
A bookshelf stocked with cookbooks, animation art, entrepreneurial, design, and scientific reference books. A title reads "Groundhog Day Resolution 2025 Dec 12 Report"
Last Groundhog Day Resolutions Report of 2025! A strong finish!
dsriseah.com/ghdr/2025/12...
The 2026 calendar package is up on the old site! davidseah.com/node/compact...
looks like I didn’t make a package last year! Will definitely update soon!
Yup! The 2025 package (did I do one?) should already include 2026 calendar pdfs already!
Screenshot of Affinity Designer, showing the text DSRI SEAH and their four freelance service offerings
BUILD 30/30: Freelance Services First Draft
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1205/
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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.
DAY 29 of 30 Day Challenge ETP 465 Day Journal Updates, showing Visual Studio Code IDE with debug preview of the PDF output
BUILD 29/30: ETP 365 Day Journal Updated for 2026
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1204/
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I updated my PDF tool to generate the 365-page ETP Journal. Free for supporters on Patreon, $10 otherwise.
A listing from amazon.com showing the Emergent Task Planner 3-Month Mini Notebook is available for sale.
BUILD 28/30: Mini ETP Notebooks available on Amazon
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1203/
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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!
Trees with fall folliage reached up toward a clear blue sky
Skip Week! Thanksgiving Staycation
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1126/
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The holiday season is here! Taking a week-long break to let my relax by not having to make something every day.
A Pantone Color Bridge guide fanned open, showing dozens of blue-to-fuschia hues in swatches with their color mixing information.
BUILD 27/30: Short Productive Sprint Day
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1125/
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I used athering-style productivity today, as deep work wasn't possible while waiting for a phone call from my mechanic.
A puzzled cat on a book cover called 'Changing Stuff and Seeing What Happens' from O RLY, next to a sketch of labeled 'The Public Square'
BUILD 26/30: Experimental Collaboration
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1124/
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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?
Layout of DSRISEAH card saying 'is a cheerful designer and chatty programmer' on one side, and with skills and contact information on the other
BUILD 25/30: Personal Cards Revisited
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1120/
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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.
A 5.8x8.5 inch Emergent Task Planner notebook, shrinkwrapped, held in a hand by the edge to show it off
BUILD 24/30: Mini ETP Production Update!
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1119/
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Screenshot of Visual Studio Code showing source code fragments and the rendered December 2025 Word Counting Calendar
BUILD 23/30: Alpha Word Counting Calendar!
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1118/
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Today's sharepiece is the minimum viable prototype for the Word Counting Calendar. Grab the November and December 2025 prototypes.
The woodworking shop of The Brickyard Collaborative in Lynn, MA
Skip Day 03! A Restorative Visit to the North Shore
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1117/
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Skip Day! I tagged along with my buddy Sid to visit The Brickyard Collaborative, a makerspace in Lynn. Roast beefs were also had!
Title image is a screenshot of Visual Studio Code, showing javascript code fragements alongside a preview of the generated PDF output
BUILD 22/30: Calendar Labeling and Space Filling
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1114/
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Added new layout elements to the Word Counting Calendar code generator. It's coming along! Still need to implement variable data and conditional layout.
I tried Arc Raider’s solo queue for the first time today, and it was super chill. PVPers didn’t shoot me on sight. In fact, players were generally helpful; reminded me a lot of chill times helping each other with fetch quests in 2004 WoW.
A screenshot of Adobe Acrobat Reader, showing individual pages of the test calendar month output for the Word Counting Calendar
BUILD 21/30: Correct Calendar Layout Progress
https://dsriseah.com/journal/2025/1113/
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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!