1 Data, Anchovy History, diyPresso & How to Make a Font
#50 of 10+1 Things | Abu Dhabi
First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to reply following last week’s delivery issue. Your responses helped improve the stats significantly, and I’m thrilled to see the engagement back up! This week also marks the 50th edition of the newsletter—a milestone I never expected to reach. When I started, I had no expectations, and the support I’ve received from each of you has been phenomenal. So thank you for being part of this journey and making it such a rewarding experience.
Without further ado, here are 10+1 things that I thought were worth sharing this week:
✍️ Being Nicheless
I had some fun reflecting on and writing about being nicheless and why I try to be like that. For me, writing without a niche gives the freedom to explore any idea that grabs my curiosity, without worrying about SEO or fitting into a specific category. In the post, I talk about how this approach keeps my blog a space of pure, unfiltered expression, where I can discover new interests and connect with readers who appreciate the eclectic journey. It’s my way of keeping the spirit of the old internet alive—writing for the joy of sharing and connecting authentically.
☕️ diyPresso
I came across diyPresso, the world’s first DIY espresso machine that lets you build and customize your own coffee experience. Designed by Bernard and Pieter, diyPresso offers easy assembly with just a screwdriver and wrench, featuring fully adjustable brewing settings. The kit includes 346 parts, and with an assembly time of around 5 hours, it's perfect for anyone who enjoys putting together stuff. Powered by open-source software, users can tweak everything from temperature to extraction time for the perfect espresso. If you're a lover of assembly manuals, you’ll definitely want to read theirs!
➰ How to Make a Font
In this article, Rek Bell (aka Rekka Bellum) shares their experience creating a custom font for their comic Hakum, transitioning from hand-drawn text to a digital font for consistency and readability. They walk through the process of designing the font in FontForge, starting with scanned images of their handwriting, adjusting for x-height, cap-height, and kerning. Rek explains the basics of font anatomy and shares practical tips for cleaning up letterforms, setting spacing, and troubleshooting common export issues. It's a very useful guide if you are interested in creating your own handwritten fonts for personal projects.
1 Dataset, 100 Visualizations
Came across this interesting data visualization where one dataset on UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Scandinavia was turned into 100 unique visualizations. Each one tells a different story—like how Sweden has consistently had the most sites, but its share has dropped, or how Denmark saw the biggest increase, surpassing Norway in site count since 2004. Using only a few visual elements, the project shows how many perspectives can emerge from the same data, inspiring new ways to tell data-driven stories.
🎣 Weird Findings
Scouting for interesting discussions, I came across this long-running thread on ifish.net where users shared the strangest things they’ve encountered in the wilderness. Stories range from piles of dead livestock surrounded by vultures to eerie blue lights hovering in the sky, mysterious sounds of heavy footsteps, abandoned cabins hidden in cliffs, and even an impromptu UFO sighting. Some members recalled finding artifacts like arrowheads, weather balloons, and old campsite remains, while others encountered strange setups like pentagram burn marks or weathered underwear scattered in the desert. Lots of weird findings—some funny stories, and some clearly made up, of course!
🚂 Train Bot
I came across an intriguing project called Only Trains by Jonathan, where he uses a Raspberry Pi and a camera to capture passing trains outside his apartment. Each time a train goes by, his setup detects it, snaps multiple photos, and stitches them into a seamless image of the whole train, which he shares online at Onlytrains. This simple yet clever use of tech captures each train’s unique details in a visually engaging way, making it a fascinating hobby project for train enthusiasts and tech fans alike. You can even explore interesting stats on the website, like the total number of trains, average length, and speed, as well as breakdowns by day and time.
📚 Paradox of Choice
This has been on my anti-library for a long time, but I finally picked up The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz. In the book, Schwartz explains that while we often think more choices will make us happier, it can actually make decisions more complicated and leave us feeling less satisfied. For example, Schwartz shares his experience buying jeans, where faced with countless styles and fits, he found himself overwhelmed and second-guessing his final choice—a feeling many of us can relate to. Through relatable stories like this and straightforward language, Schwartz shows how constantly changing options can cause us to feel stuck, questioning every choice and blaming ourselves when things go wrong.
One interesting quote from the book is
“I think that in modern America, we have far too many options for breakfast cereal and not enough options for president.”
~ Resurfaced by Readwise, a FREE service
Last Week's Read: You are a Writer
📇 My Name
I recently added an interesting page to my blog all about my name, its origin, and some fun stories connected to it. I’ve taken it a step further by transliterating my name—not translating, just representing the pronunciation—into 145 languages. With the help of GPT and Google Translate, I’ve covered as many languages as possible, but I’ve personally verified only a few, including English, Malayalam, Hindi, and Tamil (the languages spoken by my wife and me). Since this newsletter reaches readers from 89 countries, likely speaking a variety of languages, I thought it would be a fun project to get your input. If you see your language on the list, let me know if the transliteration is correct, and I’ll add a verified icon along with a backlink to your blog. And if your language isn’t on the list, reach out—I’d love to add it!
🐡 Little History of the Anchovy
An interesting article on the history of the anchovy by Mathew Lyons. He explores how this small fish has flavored Western cuisine and shaped cultural identity for centuries. From ancient Roman garum to British sauces and Italian dishes, the anchovy’s unique umami flavor made it both a luxury and a staple. Lyons traces its journey through European history, including its role in Prohibition-era American bars, and recounts how this “humble” fish has been both celebrated and dismissed across cultures.
📸 Ship Breaking
This week, I had fun exploring Shipbreaking, a photography project by Edward Burtynsky. Inspired by the decommissioning of single-hulled tankers after the Exxon Valdez spill, Burtynsky traveled to Chittagong, Bangladesh, where these massive vessels are dismantled by hand. His photos capture the haunting beauty of these ship graveyards, revealing vast, rusted hulls against the shore and the surreal landscapes created by human industry.
🎬 Design of the Aluminum Beverage Can
I had fun watching this video on the incredible engineering behind the aluminum beverage can by Bill Hammack, the Engineer Guy. Ever wondered why cans aren’t shaped like a sphere or a cuboid? Or how the can’s thin walls stay so strong? Bill dives into all this, explaining how engineers perfected the design to balance strength, material use, and efficient packing. He even covers the clever tab mechanism that switches levers as you open it and why cans can support a human’s weight.
📣 Shoutouts
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That’s 10+1 Things for the week.
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See you next week!
With Love,
Rishi
“There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."
— Douglas Adams