diff --git a/rss.xml b/rss.xml index 2720a84..ddc662c 100644 --- a/rss.xml +++ b/rss.xml @@ -2,12 +2,12 @@ Sufyaan's Posts -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/ Blog posts on Sufyaan's website Tools I Use - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/uses/ - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/uses/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/uses/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/uses/ Thu, 31 Jul 2023 20:30:00 GMT

Introduction

This post consists of all the hardware, software and other tools I use on a daily basis for all of my work. I am for tools that are lightweight, minimal and work fast on all types of devices.

@@ -81,8 +81,8 @@ Writing With Fountain Pens - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/fp/ - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/fp/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/fp/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/fp/ Thu, 30 Jul 2023 20:30:00 GMT

I have heard great things about writing with fountain pens and decided to try one. I have recently purchased the Jinhao X750 and I have to say that I am not going back.

Jinhao X750
Jinhao X750
@@ -100,8 +100,8 @@ Minimal Design - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/minimal-design/ - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/minimal-design/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/minimal-design/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/minimal-design/ Thu, 28 Jul 2023 21:30:00 GMT

Introduction

People often ask me why I choose minimal design for brands. This is because it has numerous practical advantages that provide ease and consistency in a brand.

@@ -137,8 +137,8 @@ Taking Proper Backups - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/backups/ - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/backups/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/backups/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/backups/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 01:15:00 GMT

Taking backups is crucial in every single context. There is simply no situation where the lack of backups was beneficial. Such situations are always detrimental to people. Backups are also important for businesses, especially ones which are responsible for the lives of people, like hospitals.

Taking backups prevents data loss due to software or hardware errors. Even accidents have a minimal impact if you have a backup. It allows businesses to keep growing instead of being worried about recovering crucial client data. For public services like hospitals, being hit with ransomware is an extremely difficult moment. If the ransom is not paid immediately, it can result in loss of human lives. This is why you either have backups or lose money.

@@ -185,8 +185,8 @@ VimWiki Is A Godsend - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/plaintext/ - https://www.sufyaan.cyou/plaintext/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/plaintext/ + https://sufyaan.cyou/plaintext/ Wed, 26 Jul 2023 10:30:00 GMT

I have recently been using VimWiki to take all of my notes instead of Joplin, and it has been working really well. It has its own Markdown (.md) format, but I use regular Markdown (.md) with it. I use Syncthing to sync all my notes to all of my devices. There is barely any delay, so there are never any conflict issues.

What Is VimWiki?

@@ -210,8 +210,8 @@ Use Plaintext -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/plaintext/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/plaintext/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/plaintext/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/plaintext/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 10:30:00 GMT

Almost everything I write is in plaintext or is as close to plaintext as possible. For example, I prepare plans to work on a project, future articles or brand case studies in plaintext before further processing.

The first step of everything I do is plaintext. I store my notes in markdown format. However, the first step is always to write everything in plaintext to get whatever I need to write out of my head. Formatting such as headings and underlines come after the aforementioned initial step.

@@ -232,8 +232,8 @@ Why You Should Torrent -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/torrent/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/torrent/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/torrent/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/torrent/ Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:30:00 GMT

I believe that everyone should download most of the files they use through torrents as much as possible. This is because of its philosophy to share and contribute. It has numerous advantages as well.

Myths

@@ -266,8 +266,8 @@ Oversimplification Kills -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/ovsk/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/ovsk/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/ovsk/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/ovsk/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 10:30:00 GMT

Oversimplification kills. It is as simple as that. Most of the time, there are simple solutions to a problem that work well which are not used because individuals feel like they need to be more simple.

If you want to get more technical, think about the over-engineering of website builders. Instead of having a simple piece of software that generates static sites and blog posts based on markdown files, we have ultra-bloated website builders that provide a simple way to make a website at the cost of extremely slow websites and unneeded JavaScript. We also have oversimplified user interfaces in Windows and MacOS. These operating system have made bad and oversimplified interfaces a norm, which makes good interfaces such as ones you can customize on Linux seem too complicated or confusing even though it would be easier for someone with no experience in computing to get started with most desktop environments available.

@@ -279,8 +279,8 @@ Open-Source Islam Apps? -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/islam/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/islam/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/islam/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/islam/ Sun, 02 Jul 2023 10:30:00 GMT

I have tried finding open-source and free Islamic apps for a long time and it is tiring to do so. Most of the apps are Quran and prayer time apps which are perfect but we do not have apps for other parts of Islam like hadeeths, duas and even Qibla locating. If I do run across an app, its last update is always more than five years ago which is not ideal. There are two Islamic apps that I use on a daily basis that I absolutely love and will never switch from:

    @@ -296,8 +296,8 @@ Keep It Minimal -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/mnml/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/mnml/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/mnml/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/mnml/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 10:30:00 GMT

    In technology, you should keep it simple as much as possible. The KISS philosophy and the UNIX philosophy especially must be followed if you want quality software. Most pieces of famous software nowadays do not follow this guideline and it is costing millions of people dearly.

    Why Minimal?

    @@ -321,8 +321,8 @@     KeePass + Syncthing -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/kpst/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/kpst/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/kpst/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/kpst/ Fri, 23 Jun 2023 10:30:00 GMT

    I have decided to switch from a self-hosted Vaultwarden (Bitwarden) instance to using KeePass along with Syncthing to sync it to all my devices. There are numerous reasons why I decided to make this change.

    Security

    @@ -347,8 +347,8 @@     Switching to FFmpeg -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/ffmpeg/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/ffmpeg/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/ffmpeg/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/ffmpeg/ Thu, 01 Jun 2023 10:30:00 GMT

    I just started using FFmpeg... and it is AMAZING! When I mean amazing, I really mean amazing.

    For those of you who do not know what FFmpeg is, it is basically a command-line application that can be installed on all platforms that is basically the Swiss army knife of videos, audio files and images. It merges almost every single codec, encoders and decoders, filters and more in a single application allowing for fast access and modularity.

    @@ -364,8 +364,8 @@     Don't Use GitHub -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/github/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/github/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/github/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/github/ Sat, 27 May 2023 10:30:00 GMT

    If you are a developer, programmer or a coder who works with open-source software, you must have clicked this post in shock. First off, I would like to state that I am not telling everyone to stop making open-source software. What I am trying to say is that GitHub is one of the worst Git platforms to host your projects. We will cover why in this post.

    Freedom!

    @@ -390,8 +390,8 @@     Do It Yourself -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/diy/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/diy/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/diy/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/diy/ Fri, 19 May 2023 10:30:00 GMT

    With regards to technology, the average person would rather buy a new computer when their WiFi stops working instead of taking it to a repair shop or fixing it themselves. They would rather buy a new smartphone when their screen cracks than repair it. They would also rather buy a device because of its looks and arbitrary specifications than one specific to their use case and their interests. They focus on the marketing of a company and become 'fanboys' of a specific company, buying nothing but their products, stating that the company in question makes the best products in the world. Self-servicing and repairability are not even factors in their decision to buy a device.

    @@ -405,8 +405,8 @@     Start Using 2FA Properly -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/tfa/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/tfa/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/tfa/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/tfa/ Sat, 13 May 2023 10:30:00 GMT

    If you use any online account, you should use 2FA keys. It does not matter if it is your Google account that has all of your personal information or if it is some random account you use once in a while. You should at least have 2FA enabled in an authenticator app or preferably a 2FA key. Do not use SMS.

    Why buy a 2FA key when you can use 2FA codes or SMS for free? Let us start with SMS.

    @@ -434,16 +434,16 @@     Instagram Deleted! -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/insta/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/insta/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/insta/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/insta/ Sun, 07 May 2023 10:30:00 GMT

    This post is to inform you that the grace period for the deletion of my public Instagram account has been completed. My Instagram account has been deleted... forever. I highly recommend you do it too. Read this post for more information.

    >>> Reply To Me

         Buy Only Metal USBs -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/usb/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/usb/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/usb/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/usb/ Sat, 06 May 2023 10:30:00 GMT

    You should only buy metal USBs because they last longer. Metal USBs should be used for everything that a USB is used for. First, let me clarify what USBs are supposed to be used for:

      @@ -464,8 +464,8 @@ Password Systems -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/pwd/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/pwd/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/pwd/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/pwd/ Tue, 02 May 2023 10:30:00 GMT

      If you find it difficult to maintain strong passwords, then this guide is the only article you need to refer to. In this article, I will talk about an amazing trick to remember and manage all of your passwords.

      Introduction

      @@ -531,16 +531,16 @@       Eid Mubarak! -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/eid23/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/eid23/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/eid23/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/eid23/ Fri, 21 Apr 2023 10:30:00 GMT

      I would like to wish an 🌙 AUSPICIOUS EID 🌙 to you and your family!

      >>> Reply To Me

             Use Doas Instead Of Sudo -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/doas/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/doas/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/doas/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/doas/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 10:30:00 GMT

      Sudo. It is often used by Linux users to perform commands with root privileges instead of being in a root shell all the time. However, there has recently been a vulnerability in sudo due to which people are switching to doas.

      What is Doas?

      @@ -574,8 +574,8 @@       Stop Using Social Media -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/sm/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/sm/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/sm/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/sm/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 08:30:00 GMT

      I know how you felt reading the title. If you are a heavy social media user, you probably said:

      "What? Who in their right mind would delete their social media accounts? How are they supposed to live life and talk to their friends?"

      Don't worry. That was me last year. I understand your feelings. However, the disadvantages of social media and the perks of deleting it far outweigh its benefits. In this post, I will go over the reasons why you should delete all of your social media.

      Affects Your Mental Health

      Whenever people hear that social media affects your mental health, they agree but say that it does not affect them specifically. The most common argument I hear is:

      "Yeah, I know that it affects other people. However, I am fine with it. I feel normal and do not feel depressed at all.

      All I can say is not to trust what your brain tells you whenever you are dealing with any addiction, not just social media. Think about it. The same brain that is telling you that you should keep using social media for meaningless reasons is the one telling you that it is not affecting you.

      Social media is a constant source of comparison. You open it up, view a few triggering posts, find out that your favourite actor has passed away, and see your friends perfect lives. Before closing the app, you apply filters to yourself and edit the picture as much as possible for your stories to make yourself look artificially good.

      You see, not only is social media fake, it also has an absurd effect on your mental health. It has been proven that many social media platforms track you to show you personalised content. They use human psychology to hook you onto their platforms.

      There are two chemicals in your brain that are responsible for happiness:

      • Dopamine - released when you are anticipating something good
      • Endorphin - released when you are happy

      In many cases, the effect of dopamine is much greater than the effect of endorphins. Recall back to a young age when you realised you were about to receive a toy that you had been waiting for for a few days. The feeling you got when you realised you would get it soon was more intense than the actual feeling of getting the toy.

      The same trick applies on social media. Many social media platforms show you content that is completely different from the content that you like just before showing you content that you really like. This results in more dopamine being released, with a good amount of endorphin being released as well. To your brain, it has just achieved something great when, in reality, you have not.

      Constantly high dopamine and endorphin releases raise your base happiness levels. This is why things that you used to love now seem boring to you. It is not 'growing up'. It is your social media addiction.

      Social media metrics also contribute to this. It makes you think that likes and comments are proportional to your worth, which is simply not the case. When you get a like, it is a form of validation that you are valuable to someone. Someone not liking your post does not mean that you are not valuable.

      FOMO (fear of missing out) plays a big role as well. The phrase:

      "If everyone is using [insert anything here], why shouldn't I?"

      is commonly said by an individual who experiences FOMO without the thing in question. There is a constant fear of missing out on information, which simply will not happen. You may miss some arbitrary information that you would not care about otherwise, but this is not a reason at all to continue using social media.

      To hook you into their addiction, social media companies hire "attention designers" who take references and inspiration from casinos to keep you hooked.

      Before ending this unexpectedly long section, I would like you to read this quote.

      "You're either on, and you're connected and distracted all the time, or you're off, but then you're wondering, Am I missing something important? In other words, you're either distracted or you have a fear of missing out."

      Tristan Harris, Former Design Ethicist at Google

      Privacy

      If you post everything you do on social media, there is no longer any privacy. Anything you do is public information. If you have a 'private' account, your friends know everything you do. There is no privacy at all if you keep posting everything on social media.

      Then there is the elephant in the room. Digital Privacy.

      @@ -630,8 +630,8 @@       Delete Your Discord -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/discord/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/discord/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/discord/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/discord/ Wed, 22 Mar 2023 10:30:00 GMT

      As mentioned in the title, I have deleted my Discord account. This was obviously not without a reason. There are two reasons due to which I deleted my Discord account:

        @@ -710,8 +710,8 @@ My New Browser Setup -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/browser/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/browser/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/browser/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/browser/ Fri, 17 Mar 2023 10:30:00 GMT

        I have a new browser setup on my desktop to increase my privacy and convenience. It is divided into two profiles that perform differently based on what I need to do in the moment.

        What is it?

        @@ -778,8 +778,8 @@         How To Encrypt Emails -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/email/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/email/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/email/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/email/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 10:30:00 GMT

        In this article, I will show you how to encrypt emails. You can encrypt emails on almost any device. In this article, however, I will be focusing on Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo. I will also be focusing on making ProtonMail encrypt emails with Gmail.

        Myths

        @@ -834,8 +834,8 @@         Keep Crypto Off Exchanges -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/crypto/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/crypto/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/crypto/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/crypto/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 10:30:00 GMT

        In this article, we will discover why it is horrible to keep cryptocurrency on exchanges. If you do not have time to read this article, please stop keeping your cryptocurrencies on exchanges. If you do, your crypto may get stolen or lost. If you are interested in the details, please keep reading.

        Lack of Ownership

        @@ -850,8 +850,8 @@         Why I Use Terminal Apps -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/ta/ -https://www.sufyaan.cyou/ta/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/ta/ +https://sufyaan.cyou/ta/ Mon, 13 Mar 2023 10:30:00 GMT

        “Ah, yes. Graphical-user interface (GUI) apps. They are so comfortable and easy to use. You just click some buttons and get your computer to do what you want.”

        That was what I thought before I learned how spectacular terminal applications are. I do not use a calendar or email GUI app. I use its terminal equivalent. Specifically, I use Calcurse for my calendar/todo, neomutt for my email, sxiv for my image viewing, mpv for my video playing and even Joplin (CLI) for my notes. I am still actively looking for more apps like terminal file managers (lf, ranger, mc) and terminal versions of GUI apps I use (Bitwarden?). What compelled me to switch?