CodeMacLifeTaking a pause from the online world. No blogs. No social media.
The Weekly Review - Issue 9 2026 - https://blog.codemaclife.net/post/the-weekly-review-09-2026
Moving to iA Writer for blogging, Microblog for long-form and my Minimalism review.
The Weekly Review 09-2026
The Weekly Scribble“"When you doubt, abstain." - Ambrose Bierce” Moving to iA Writer for bloggingIt wasn’t too long ago I said I was using the Bear notes app for blogging. It’s true - I was. Since then, I have looked closely at what I want and the simplicity that goes with it. iA Writer has the minimalist writing experience I appreciate greatly. All the additional writing tools that go with the writing tool as well as wikilinks make the app perfect for what I want. It is a fabulous tool to use, especially the focus mode. Not only is iA Writer the place I write my blogs in, I also use it for note-taking and learning. I have also added my web dev notes and learning to iA Writer. Returning back to Microblog for long-formI forgot I had a microblog account linked to my original website (www.codemaclife.com). I plan to utilise it over the next two months. I’ve made some minor changes to the css, bio and links. However, I will have a revamp of other areas of my website. Scribbles will continue to be my home but Microblog will be used for long-form and cross platform posting. Minimalism reviewOver the past few months, I have consumed and acquired things that bring no value or meaning to my life. It has very much been the opposite of what I know of minimalism. Being aware of my actions prompted me to re-read a book called Use Things Not People by the Minimalists. A book that accompanies the documentary movie, which changed my life. As always, thank you so much for reading. The Weekly Review is simply a place to gather thoughts, ideas, links, and recommendations — the kind of things I would have once shared on social media. Mark
The Weekly Review - Issue 8 2026 - https://blog.codemaclife.net/post/the-weekly-review-08-26
My Apple Store experience, de-googling and Apple Pages for iOS.
The Weekly Review 08-26
The Weekly Scribble “If you focus on the hurt, you will continue to suffer. If you focus on the lesson, you will continue to grow.” My Apple Store experience Finally! I got my iPhone 15 back after many months without. The unpleasant part was the £289.00 charge on collection. The screen needed replacing after I had smashed it. In my last weekly review, I mentioned I had an unfortunate accident with my phone. Well, now I have the phone back and it feels like getting a new phone altogether. I knew the iPhone 11 wasn’t the fastest phone but I did not realise the significance until I started comparing the two phones side by side. I booked an appointment online to attend the closest Apple Store in Manchester. Oddly, the ics invite had the address but when I hit the Apple Maps link, it sent me to a complete different place many miles away. I made the logical decision to ignore this anomaly and headed to where I knew I should be heading. As usual, the Apple Store was busy and bustling with the usual Apple-looking customers. I’m not sure how I feel about the newer wooden aesthetics (very church like) over the minimal white space Apple Stores once had. I lined up in, what I now know, in the wrong queue. It must be a British thing to line up. Tom, the Apple Genius, was friendly and helpful as expected as well as clear on what needed to be actioned. After inspection from Tom, I was given the compliment of my iPhone being in great condition, albeit the serious crack in the screen. Each diagnostic passed, so I was relieved there were no additional hidden costs. I was possibly expecting to hear the repair would take a few days. However, I was pleasantly surprised to be told it would take an hour. One thing to note, you have to show ID on collection, so make sure you have ID if you want to collect your device. When I said I lined up in the wrong queue, I hadn’t realised this until an Apple employee came over to me to see what I wanted. I had been waiting in the wrong place for twelve whole minutes until being informed I was in a queue for paying Apple upfront from items (whatever that means). Any way, the collection process what quick and the staff were great. I have no complaints. There certainly was no upselling or marketing tricks like I have seen on YouTube. Yes. I know I could have gotten the screen repaired for cheaper. However, a past experience with a phone caused me a lot of bother. I might have lined up my next purchase in the process. I will wait ninety days before deciding to buy a new iPad Air. By then, there might be a newer version or my interest on it has diminished. My ninety day purchasing rule has helped me avoid many, many impulsive purchases during the past four years. Anything over £70 ($100) must have a ninety day ‘cool off’ period before the purchase De-googling Spreading my focus across my Apple, Google and Linux ecosystem has been a challenge. The original idea was to silo my focus into ‘zones’. What was I thinking? I recent scribbled I was having a digital declutter. Google drew the short straw. Other than using my Lenovo IdeaPad Pro for reading, I won’t be using the Google ecosystem moving forwards. The Rossen Report put out a video about Android and Google spying on users and selling off data. I don’t want to be part of this system. I know Apple are not saints in this business. Luckily, I don’t use any of the other services mentioned in the report - Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, LinkedIn and Uber. If I am accessing YouTube, it is done through a web browser using Wipr and through private mode. I don’t sign in. I have managed to delete all my Google Photos, Keep notes and emails. I am now working on Docs and Sheets. Apple Page for iPhone I have to say it - Apple Pages for iPhone is 🔥! Seriously, I’ve had lots of fun writing in the app on my (newly repaired) iPhone. Things like the screen scrolling side to side like a typewriter or the auto focus on different elements of the document like titles, subheadings and lists has me coming back for more. Also, the Liquid Glass effects in Pages are incredible. I’m now enjoying the experience of using Pages over Apple Notes. On the go, I am able to add to my blog ideas and produce posts like the one you are reading right now. The Media Shelf • YouTube | iOS 26 SCARY Privacy Settings To Turn Off Now! By Payette Forward • YouTube | Apple: the Trillion Dollar Betrayal by Best Documentary The Link Log • Article | The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents - Fortune • Article | Will AI replace Google on your iPhone? Apple thinks so. Here's why. By USA Today Money • Blog | If you focus on the hurt, you will continue to suffer. If you focus on the lesson, you will continue to grow - Brian Weiner As always, thank you so much for reading. The Weekly Review is simply a place to gather thoughts, ideas, links, and recommendations — the kind of things I would have once shared on social media. Mark
The Weekly Review - Issue 7 2026 - https://blog.codemaclife.net/post/the-weekly-review-07-26
Boring phone, Lost Post social media (first impressions) and a costly mistake.
The Weekly Review - Issue 6 2026 - https://blog.codemaclife.net/post/the-weekly-review-06-26
Declutter, declutter, declutter...
The Weekly Review - Issue 5 2026 - https://blog.codemaclife.net/post/the-weekly-review-05-26
I focused choosing Bear Notes app for blogging and TickTick to track my habits.
The Weekly Review - Issue 4 2026 - https://blog.codemaclife.net/post/the-weekly-review-04-26
- Finding the right markdown writing app, Testing out @kobo and Picking the right task management app (TickTick).
Also a shout to @dsebastien for Concepts!
The Weekly Review - Issue 3 2026 - https://blog.codemaclife.net/post/the-weekly-review-03-26
- I wrote about Zettelkasten, habits for 2026 & not expecting things for free.
The Weekly Review - Issue 2 2026 - https://blog.codemaclife.net/post/the-weekly-review-02-26
- I wrote about LCD note taking goodness, the return of TickTick & Day One and blog rebrand.
A new year, a new blogging target. I've neglected the blogging scene for half a year or so. For 2026, I plan to consolidate my ideas into smaller, digestible weekly reviews. These will be easier to maintain and publish.
The Weekly Review - Issue 1 2026 - https://blog.codemaclife.net/post/the-weekly-review-01-26
- I write about returning back to social media, the use of AI and moving away from Apple ecosystem.
