Heyaa
An update about my laptop. The charging point itself is faulty. Have to change it. First ārepairā in 4 years of usage. Might even have to change the laptop itselfā¦ in a few months. It has slowed now.
Apart from that, things seem to be going well again now.
Itās Sunday. Apr 7. 17.08. And I think itās a good time to start writing the newsletter.Ā
Have taken care of all tasks in my to-do for the weekend. Just have a project submission, which Iāll do later tonight. So, kind of relaxed.
Earlier today, I also got a chance to relive my old, carefree social media days.
Wait, first, todayās song:
Came across it in a random playlist. And itās on the loop. Nothing is probably as good as YouTube's algo when it comes to selective randomness.
YouTubeās random suggestions are more relatable than other social platformsā algo in general.
I wonder how I lived in the earlier algorithm-free days on social.
One of my earliest memorable experiences was in a tech group, you know. On Facebook. It was a group of Android nerds, I think.
The group had 1000 something people. It was like a public tech forum, everyone either posting about a fancy app/hack or some mobile issue theyāre facing.
And I remember the adrenaline rush when I was able to troubleshoot a problem. Because I had the exact steps to solve it. Because my phone, too, faced that issue.
Those were the fun, early days of Facebook, when I was an active user of many such groups.
I lived those days again today,Ā
Havenāt been active on Facebook a lot, but for the last six months or so, I have started engaging in book groups and others occasionally. Mostly commenting on othersā posts.
And in one of the groups, an anonymous user was trying to sort out why the domain setting changes arenāt working. Talked on and off for 2 hours. Found the problem at least (and the probable solution). Yet to get an update (if any).
It might not be the most āproductiveā act of my day. My acts rarely have been. Unless itās a matter of life and death, Iām quite lazy with my affairs.
I do love to save time, though.
Recently I came across the āCircle to Searchā feature on my phone. Instead of uploading screenshots, I can now circle to highlight an image to search about it.
Itās nothing exemplary, it but saves me 5 seconds. Iām glad more because image searches on my phone will take two less steps now.
Yep, pandas are happy with as less expectations as that.
By the way, I had a new client experience recently. Existing client; new experience.
For a project I submitted, the client told me they needed some edits. So, I was waiting for the document.
I was hoping to see a document riddled with suggestions. āSome editsā usually means 20+ comments, one on every paragraph. Thatās how things have been so far as a freelancer.
This was a short script, though, for a speech. Only a page long.
But instead of leaving comments, client called me. Apparently, the speech was to be finalised and sent to the speaker in the next 2 hours.
Was I to edit the document while the client was watching it? Yes.
Yes, I had to work on the speechā¦ sentence by sentence, over the call. I went blank for a moment. I was blank for whole 10 minutesā¦ unsure how I would do that.
Once my panic settled down, I realised I should better put on my Bluetooth. Itās gonna be a long call.
The good thing was that the client was more in a suggestive mode. Exact suggestions instead of vague instructions to āchange a sentence.ā
He looked for quotes and phrases to include in the speech. I checked my own notes.
And after 2 long hours, on and off the call, we had the final draft ready. I successfully worked on a doc while someone was scrutinizing my words live.
The introvert me unlocked a new achievement. Editing a document on the fly.
It was a high-pounding rollercoaster of an experience. Horrifying at first. Constantly at the edge. Verbally brainstorming. Having to throw suggestions on the call. I hope it doesnāt happen often.
Losing my introversion, am I?
I can happily manage an hour or 3-hour-long conversation over chats. But over a call? Itās a dreading exercise. This is one reason why I have been putting off consultations as a service.
Things get pretty scary over calls.
You have to talk and you have to think. You have to think; you have to talk. Can you do both together? Itās not possible.
Long calls with friends is easy, by the way. Because with friends, we just talk. We donāt have to think.
Think about it!
Iāll take your leave now.
Bidding adieu. Enjoy your day. Live long and prosper.