I’ve shared several links in past posts as “being a good idea for a story”. It occurred to me that this might make a good segment for the weekly newsletter - a story inspiration of the week type thing. I’m going to trial it for the next few weeks, and see how we go.

The corners of the internet that I crawl through seems to be currently having a moment with the Xteink X4 e-readers. I bought one several weeks ago, and my succinct review is that the hype is deserved. It’s not a perfect device, but it‘s been instrumental in helping me read more during otherwise slack times (commuting, standing in line, etc). The stock firmware is uninspiring, but the device is unlocked so updating to other firmwares is possible. Flashing CrossPoint Reader onto it is painless enough that anyone capable of using a web browser can do it without a problem. There’s a whole ecosystem of firmware options. For me, CrossPoint is fine right now.
The killer feature for me is the internal hotspot. I don’t need a cable to load books into it, and I don‘t need third party services like dropbox. In fact, I can drop books onto the device without needing the internet at all. Compared to my Kobo Clara Color, it’s quick, and effortless.
The X4 has neatly filled the role I wanted for it - to help me read more. The small screen size is actually a plus. It’s TikTok for fiction, because the screen size means you’re consuming bite sized slices of your books. There’s no big time commitment to reading a whole page. The lack of constant internet connection or apps means there’s nothing on the device to sap your attention (the primary reason I have trouble reading on my phone).

On the subject of useful devices, I have a laser printer that gets a lot of use making articles “real” (so I can mark them up, edit them, and share them around). It’s just a monocolor printer - I rarely need color prints and I can use a print shop if I do. One of the things I’ve wondered is how neat it would be to print a greyscale photo/image to include with the typewritten letters I send to my friends. Typically, images don’t print well unless they’re designed for greyscale in the first place. I did attempt to dither a photo, but the results were…mediocre.
This week, I think I’ve found a tool that unlocks this - dither image online. My entirely unscientific screwing around with it produced promising results. As soon as I dig my venerable printer out of the TaxiBox it’s currently stored in, I’m going give it a whirl.

Story inspiration of the week

This week’s inspiration is the greek island of Monemvasia - the photos of this ancient Greek island are worth a browse. The narrow alleyways, stone buildings, seas and the steep cliffs behind it call out for a story of some kind. The island’s long history, and location on the Myrtoan sea are rich for mining for ideas - it was ruled by the Byzantines, Ottomans, and the Venetian Republic. It’s perfectly located for visiting traders from the nearby islands or the rest of the Mediterranean to bring mystery, mischief, and mayhem.

Finally, a timely reminder that it is the flaws and fuckups that make our work human. Producing something that’s perfect, sterile, and basically the text equivalent of a lozenge is dull and depressing. Be human, give people the gift of your effort.

I’m glad you’re here,
Justin

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0