13 Months, Gum Sculptures, How to Run & Smart Reed
#51 of 10+1 Things | Abu Dhabi
Thanks a lot for the support shown by all of you through personal emails and for sending me coffees($1)! I had a solid week, mostly spent applying for jobs, working on a freelance project, and tackling some side projects. A great takeaway from the week is that my ankle is finally healing, so I’ve started running again, which feels incredibly liberating. With the weather getting better here in the UAE, I’m thrilled!
Also, I’ll be traveling to India next week and will be there for a couple of weeks. My route will be Mumbai → Nagpur → Chennai → Kochi. So, if you’re based in or around these cities, let’s catch up!
Without further ado, here are 10+1 things I thought were worth sharing this week:
📝 File over App
I recently wrote down my thoughts on the 'File Over App' philosophy after a conversation with a reader about Notion and Obsidian. While I liked Notion’s UI, I switched to Obsidian because it stores notes as plain text files on my device. Formats like Markdown and plain text offer durability and accessibility that outlast any app. After losing data in the past due to app shutdowns, I now prioritize open, accessible file formats. My Obsidian setup is synced to the cloud and backed up locally, making my notes future-proof. I use this approach in other projects as well, keeping essential data in plain files that stay accessible no matter what.
📅 13 Months
The 13-month calendar, known as the International Fixed Calendar, was an interesting idea proposed in the 1920s. It divided the year into 13 equal months of 28 days, with an extra "Year Day" for alignment. Each month had exactly four weeks, so dates always fell on the same weekday, which made scheduling simpler. Kodak founder George Eastman found the concept so useful that he adopted it internally at Kodak in 1928, where it was used until 1989. The new month, “Sol,” was added between June and July, creating a balanced calendar with predictable months. Although Eastman championed the idea, it never gained widespread acceptance due to resistance from religious groups and compatibility issues with the Gregorian system.
🏬 The Visit
A short story by Krishna about his nostalgic encounter in a quiet corner of Bangalore. Wandering through the streets, he stumbles upon a small, unassuming shop where books fill every corner and meets an elderly man who rents them out for a modest fee. Their brief conversation leaves an impression that stays with him, prompting him to return months later—only to find that, in just a short time, so much has changed. A very short story, but thought-provoking and sure to make you appreciate the little connections we often take for granted.
We exchanged a few words, and I promised to return after finishing my current book. But days turned to weeks, and weeks to months. I never quite made it back to the little shop, caught up in the busyness of life.
🛒 Under $100 & Under $1000
I came across this very engaging discussion on HN where people shared purchases under $100 and $1000 that have significantly impacted their lives since 2020. From dumbphones, bidet attachments, wireless cooking thermometers, chest freezers, heated bidet seats, Ember Mugs, rice cookers, double-edged safety razors, ear bulb syringes, and even mosquito guns, there are a lot of unique, weird, and interesting finds! The Ember Mug was especially popular, which was new to me—it seems like a great gadget for keeping drinks warm.
My favourite would be this:
.. bought an old broken clock on eBay for $60 on a lark. Since that time, I spent literally thousands of hours immersed in horology. Everything from clock repair where I started, to learning how to use a lathe and a mill, studying the impact of clockmaking on the industrial revolution in early America …It’s amazing to me how much of an effect that little junky impulse buy had on how I’m living my life these days.
📚 Wild by Cheryl Strayed
I'm still finishing The Paradox of Choice, which I picked up last week, but I've also been re-reading 'Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail’ by Cheryl Strayed. I love everything about this book—from Strayed’s raw storytelling to the breathtaking adventure she undertakes. Her journey, with no experience and everything to lose, is inspiring and filled with moments of humor and deep reflection. It’s a book that resonates differently each time, reminding me of the strength found in embracing the unknown. I haven’t seen the movie adaptation yet, but I’m reading it while dreaming about at least hiking some part of the PCT myself one day.
I love this quote from the book:
“There’s no way to know what makes one thing happen and not another. What leads to what. What destroys what. What causes what to flourish or die or take another course.”
~ As always, resurfaced by Readwise my fav FREE tool!
Last Week's Read: The Paradox of Choice
🎨 Frame of Mind
I found this interesting visualization where Picasso's works, based on a sample of 8,000 pieces, are grouped into 12 thematic categories. The analysis reveals his diverse inspirations—mythology, war, and even spiderwebs—with recurring motifs like death, sexuality, and symbolic elements such as the Minotaur, bottles, and harlequins. Various themes emerge, including abstract, mythology, Object, figure, and literature, reflecting the wide range of topics that captivated him across his career. Very interesting and a beautiful visualisation!
🏃 How to Run
A short yet informative guide by Dynomight on how to start running without all the agonizing pain. They debunk the myth that running requires extreme willpower or suffering, explaining that with a gentle, consistent approach, running can actually be enjoyable. The key is to take it easy—start with 20-minute sessions where you alternate between jogging and walking. Over time, your body adapts, making running feel less like a chore and more like a habit you’ll stick with. Instead of rushing into intense plans, this approach lets time and consistency do the work for you. As someone who had never run before and started a few years back, I can vouch for these techniques—you’ll be surprised by how your body adapts in just a few weeks!
If you’re starting or want to start running, Murakami’s book ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’ is a fantastic read!
🎺 Smart Reed
I found this fascinating project called Zefiro—a smart reed that turns your phone or tablet into a musical instrument. It’s equipped with sensors that detect breath and lip pressure, simulating the experience of playing a wind instrument. Just plug it into your device’s USB-C port, and with the Zefiro app, you can explore an array of virtual instruments, add backing tracks, and even record and share your music. The Pro version also senses movement for added expressiveness. If it works as stated, it’s a great musical setup to have on the go!
🚇 No GPS required
When I travel in the metro, I often lose track of my location in underground sections without GPS. I came across a fascinating blog by the folks at Transit App, who’ve found a clever solution! By using motion sensors, their app detects unique vibration patterns to tell if you’re on a moving train and shows your location between stations, even offline. With this, you can see your ETA and upcoming stop—no tracking needed. I haven’t tried it yet since Abu Dhabi doesn’t have a metro, but I’ll give it a go this weekend in Dubai!
📷 Gum Sculptures
This week, I had fun exploring an interesting photo series called ‘Bubble Gum Series’ by Suzanne Saroff, a photographer fascinated by the ephemeral. Her latest series zooms in on bubblegum—an unusual and playful choice that brings her love for temporary beauty into focus. Her process began instinctively when she noticed a pack of gum in her studio. She spent days experimenting, blowing bubbles that would pop within seconds, and making repeated trips to buy different colors and flavors to achieve just the right look. What I love about this series is that, even if you could replicate her process, recreating a single image she captured would be nearly impossible—a bubble once formed is unique, lost in time as soon as it pops.
🚲 101 Bikepacking Tutorial
I'm not planning to go bikepacking anytime soon, but I had a great time watching this tutorial. The guide covered everything, from route planning to gear setup, with some surprisingly helpful tips. I especially liked the suggestion to carry tomato juice with salt for an energy boost—apparently, it tastes awful early on but feels like a lifesaver later in the ride! The tip about keeping heavy items low in the bag and packing essentials at the top was smart, and the reminder to bring a small toolkit with essential Allen keys was practical. Probably the best bikepacking guide I’ve seen—fun, thorough, and full of unique tips!
One tip from me: check your pedals beforehand and make sure they’re tightened properly. I learned this the hard way on a 200km BRM when my pedals went off at the 40km mark!
📣 Shoutouts
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With Love,
Rishi
The great obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents, and the ocean was not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. Imagination drew in bold strokes, instantly serving hopes and fears, while knowledge advanced by slow increments and contradictory witnesses.
— Daniel J. Boorstin