Benjamin Hollon

Weeknotes: W12, 2026

2026-03-23T09:07:49.000Z

Keeping things short this week…

Highlight of the week: I solved a problem with my computer setup that’s been bugging me for years. Apparently, running powertop --auto-tune when SwayWM starts up tells my external keyboard and mouse to fall asleep every few seconds of inactivity, meaning keystrokes and mouse movements kept getting missed; to fix this, I’d have to unplug and re-plug them. Removing that command from my config has everything running smoothly. Apparently “auto-tune” means “turn off literally everything that could drain my battery faster, such as being able to type.” Ridiculous.

things I did

Family vacation is coming up next week for my family. (I’m not really a “vacation” person…)
Got a lot of reading done! See below.
Happy Eid al-Fitr to those who celebrate! I’ve got fond memories from my childhood.

things I read

I managed to read the entirety of Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon in 30 hours, across three days. While I didn’t enjoy everything, overall it was a good book and I had fun. It was more interesting for being largely set in my geographical neighborhood.

words I looked up

catenary
architectonic
epiphyte
sigmoid
quotidian
specious
puckish
vertiginous
raconteur (I know this one, but it’s a really good one and I’m writing it down to remember to use it)
codicil
moiety
frisson
obloquy

things I listened to

Norah Jones - The Fall
A lot of Duke Ellington
A good bit of The Manhattan Transfer

links around the small web

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Weeknotes: W11, 2026

2026-03-16T03:17:00.000Z

Highlight of the week: My birthday was this week! It was a fun time with family.

things I did

I set up a tea station for myself in my bedroom! I have several types of loose leaf tea, whole spices, a teapot with an infuser, some sugar, and an electric kettle all ready for me to use. Should be a lot more convenient than needing to go all the way to the kitchen (which is two floors down from my room) for tea, and then bringing it back up if I want to work at my desk.
I think I’m getting hung up on my publishing project as a primary project to work on… I need to put it aside for a bit, banish it back to the “side project” realm, and do some actual writing for myself. I have a good story idea, I’m going to put some more work into it.
My hummus side-hustle has officially begun! I’ve sold three 700ml batches so far. I also got to check “deliver hummus via bicycle” off of my bucket list.
One of my old posts has been making the rounds again on the Fediverse.
Weeknotes are late because I had something of a small meltdown last night during a social event. Then promptly went to bed upon getting home and slept for fourteen hours. Not sure what’s up.

things I read

I reread most of the Tintin books this week. They’re a bit dated at times but overall still enjoyable.

Other than that, I read a couple stories from Beneath Ceaseless Skies #450. I’m feeling like starting a longer novel once I finish this issue.

words I looked up

immiserated
metonymically
double-checked difference between “amend” and “emend”. It does appear there are some subtle differences between an amendment and an emendation, as I’d suspected.

links around the small web

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Weeknotes: W10, 2026

2026-03-09T08:04:18.000Z

I spent most of this last week spending time with family and close friends I hadn’t seen in a long time, so I’m actually going to skip most of my usual weeknotes stuff (I either didn’t keep track or stuff is private) and keep things short and sweet.

I cooked a number of times this week! Made chickpeas with red curry paste again, which I still have leftovers of even after eating it as leftovers several times. I made Chana Masala for a family friend’s birthday, and every bit was devoured. Also, I made a batch of hummus on Wednesday night, and the full liter was gone by the weekend.

Speaking of hummus, I just received four orders for half-liter batches of hummus, from my parents’ coworkers. So I guess I officially have a hummus-making side-hustle, now? That’ll be a task for this coming week.

On a final note, while I don’t share my precise birthday publicly online, I will say that it is during Week 11 of 2026, as per the ISO Week Date calendar (which, to make things simple for the uninitiated, is what I use for these weeknotes). So, if you’re wanting to wish me a happy birthday (very kind of you!) you may do so at any point this week!

links around the small web

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Weeknotes: W09, 2026

2026-03-01T14:10:35.000Z

Highlight of the week: Finally revisited The Book Thief; it’s been years since I last read it, and I really missed those characters. Shed a few tears, too.

things I did

I have a story idea I’ve been working on developing… I think it could be pretty good, though I’m still not sure how most of the plot will go. In the meantime I’ve reread a couple stories with similar premises.
I made fried rice with Indian spices, raisins, onions, and tempeh, and it was delicious! Tempeh seems like a great option for protein in vegetarian fried rices, as long as it’s seasoned well.
I’ll get to see some old friends next weekend. Looking forward to that a lot.
I set up a shared shopping list for my family that syncs through my self-hosted Radicale. Seems to work! (Except for some odd Apple shenanigan on my dad’s phone that I’ll tackle another day.)
I finished my recent goal of finishing six video games from my backlog! The ones I completed: Spindle, Crypt Custodian, Gris, Braid, Bastion, and VVVVVV.

things I read

Decided to try a list format this time.

Watership Down by Richard Adams
Tales from Watership Down by Richard Adams
Beneath Ceaseless Skies #449
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

words I looked up

lugubrious (thought I knew this one but I’d mixed it up)

things I listened to

SeaFury - we who wander
Diahann Carroll with the Duke Ellington Orchestra - A Tribute to Ethel Waters
Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett - Songs of Supergiant Games (this is so fantastic, especially if you’ve played the games in question)
Sons of Korah - listened through all their albums
Chick Corea and Return to Forever - Light as a Feather

links around the small web

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Weeknotes: W08, 2026

2026-02-22T13:59:57.000Z

Highlight of the week: I’ve had some fresh story ideas for the first time in a while, which I’m looking forward to writing.

things I did

I renewed my Clarkesworld Magazine subscription!
I made potato and bean qorma for my family, which was very tasty.
I also made potato and egg tacos for my family, also very tasty.
I came up with a URL structure for my upcoming publishing project that I’m happy with. Which doesn’t sound like a huge victory, but I’ve been agonizing over this since starting the project. Yeah, I’m a weird nerd (and proud of it).
I’ve transformed my pen case into a wallet slash EDC kit that fits comfortably in my pocket by removing a few writing utensils and adding some cash. This should fit my needs better at this time (since I’m not regularly commuting with my backpack, and I’m somewhere that I use cash more than cards). As with my previous wallet, I’ve tucked in a few Clew and Writing Month stickers to give to people I talk to.
I’ve started sending webmentions from these weeknotes, since I link to a lot of other sites.

things I read

This week I continued reading Clarkesworld issues, completing issues 223 and 224. Some favorite stories from these issues:

As with last time, all of these have audio versions available.

I’m almost finished reading issue 225, which will mark seven monthly issues read in this one month, a significant dent in my backlog. To celebrate, I’ll probably pick something different to read in the remaining week of February. I haven’t decided, but I’m leaning toward a reread of Watership Down.

words I looked up

I finally got around to setting up dictionaries locally and don’t need to look up words using online dictionaries anymore, so I probably won’t continue to include links with these words. I’m sure you can figure out how to do a dictionary lookup, y’all are smart.

intubation
weft
inimical

things I listened to

Miles Davis & Quincy Jones - Miles & Quincy Live at Montreax
Marc Cohn - The Rainy Season
U2 - The Joshua Tree
James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
The Manhattan Transfer - Bop Doo Wop

links around the small web

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Weeknotes: W07, 2026

2026-02-17T12:36:23.000Z

Highlight of the week: I’m finally beginning to feel like I can focus on things again, which is very gratifying. Now I “just” need to work on my motivation to actually accomplish the goals I’m setting.

things I did

Last weekend, I wrote my weeknotes on Saturday, so I’ll include an event of Sunday: I the entire afternoon in the kitchen, cooking Hummus first and later a special request from my dad for a chickpea dish using red curry paste. Here’s the recipe he sent me, though be warned that I found this recipe somewhat annoying to work from. Also, I literally quadrupled the recipe to get the number of servings it claims (with some other tweaks based on what ingredients we get here).
Chinese New Year is coming up which is a big deal here.
My parents and I all got health screenings this week, which was a harrowing experience (my first time) but I received very positive results and appear to be very healthy, which is good to know for sure.
I’ve been making a ton of progress on the code for my upcoming publishing project. If I can keep this up I will be able to begin publishing in March. (Maybe in time for my birthday?)
I got a new laptop stand at last, after my old one broke a few months ago! This one is much higher-quality than the previous.

things I read

This week I focused on catching up on my magazine subscriptions, incredibly completing issues 220, 221, and 222 of Clarkesworld Magazine (which finally means I’m less than a year behind). A few of my favorite stories from this mix:

(All of these have audio versions available.)

I think reading lengthy Neal Stephenson novels has helped me get over my usual hesitance to read the longer novellas and novelettes when I encounter them in magazines, which has helped a lot with getting through my backlog. I’m on a roll so I’ll probably continue this trend into next week.

things I listened to

I didn’t pay as close attention this time around to what I was listening to, but I know there was a lot of big band music (particularly Les Brown) and, of course, Chick Corea.

links around the small web

The inverted index pattern | James’ Coffee Blog
Index Compression, Query Execution Improvements | marginalia.nu
A programmer’s loss of identity - ratfactor
Overscan: Stories from Beyond the Screen’s Edge (I was in the anthology this is a review of!)
Paper Books vs. e-books vs “librebooks?”

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Weeknotes: W06, 2026

2026-02-08T18:06:55.000Z

Highlight of the week: I got a feature request from a High School English teacher who uses Writing Month with their students, which is awesome! Participating in NaNoWriMo alongside my Middle School and High School English classmates was a huge influence on my own development as a writer, so it’s great to be helping that carry on.

things I did

My mom and I were watching The LEGO Batman Movie and I realized the singer of the song playing during the tuxedo changing scene is Al Jarreau! I did quite the double take as I heard it; the last time I saw the movie was before I discovered him and he has become one of my favorite singers in that time.
2/7 authors are officially on board for my upcoming publishing project. Progress is being made on the code, too!
Got some really cool ideas for my search engine. A little hesitant to start coding that since (1) I’m not done thinking and (2) I have other things I should be coding, but good things are coming.

things I read

You may have noticed… I skipped a week in my weeknotes. Well, then, I’ll just summarize two weeks worth of reading.

Last week, I started Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves, and I finished it this week (breezed through it, quicker than Anathem was). I liked a lot about the plot, though there were moments that I didn’t find as interesting and overall I think I liked it less than Anathem. I’m still looking forward to reading more of Neal’s work, though.

Also last week, I read issue 448 of Beneath Ceaseless Sky, which I enjoyed very much.

This week I finished Clarkesworld issue 219, which had what is probably my favorite short story I’ve read so far this year, “The Coffee Machine” by Celia Corral-Vázquez.

things I listened to

Worth a mention: in the Grammy award ceremony last Sunday, Chick Corea won an award for the live performance of “Windows” on Trilogy 3! Not bad for a guy who’s been dead five years. This puts him at a total of 29 Grammy awards, breaking the tie with Quincy Jones for third place.

Chick Corea - Now He Sings, Now He Sobs
Chicago - Chicago 17
Passengers - Original Soundtracks 1 (“Passengers” is the pseudonym used by U2 for this album, which is very different from their usual sound)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade
Columbus State University Trombone Ensemble - Full Tilt

links around the small web

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Weeknotes: W04, 2026

2026-01-25T13:49:13.000Z

Highlight of the week: I finished reading Anathem!

things I did

I did some more work on the code for my upcoming publishing project.
I made Dal Tadka for a family member’s birthday.
I made a very experimental batch of hummus. The weirdest thing was using desi chickpeas instead of kabuli chickpeas, giving it a very dark brown hue, but I’ve received very positive feedback on the other changes. I may update my recipe soon. As I write this, I’m working on a second, larger batch, integrating the flavor tweaks but returning to the usual kabuli chickpeas.
I got some awesome new tee shirts, three for 65RM (about $15)! Pictures below.

Three new shirts! Slothmode is my favorite.

things I read

I finished Anathem, which I enjoyed very much! It’s given me some new ideas for my seven-dimensional universe, which was eerily similar to the cosmology of the book. I’d complain that Neal stole my idea, but I suppose he had it first.

Other than that, I’ve been reading a few books I found lying around the house that I enjoyed as a kid. I also discovered that my mom borrowed Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism from a friend, so I may read that next.

words I looked up

things I listened to

Beethoven - Symphony No. 3
Claude Fontaine - La Mer
Bobby McFerrin - Bang! Zoom
Peter Cetera - One More Story

links around the small web

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Weeknotes: W03, 2026

2026-01-18T13:41:19.000Z

Shorter update this week, but next week should be busier.

Highlight of the week: I’ve got a proper work space now! See below.

things I did

I cooked potato and bean qorma for myself, which lasted me a good while, and I still have about one serving left. My brothers were ordering McDonald’s and I didn’t want any so I made myself a very late lunch with lots of leftovers.
I cleared off the table in the room I’ve been staying with, only to discover that it’s basically the worst wi-fi deadzone in the house. Like, that specific table; anywhere else in the room is decent. That’s okay, though, I moved back into my old bedroom this weekend.
One of my brothers has gone back to uni, vacating my old bedroom for my use, meaning I finally have a proper work space. With my family all back at school or work, I should be able to get to work in earnest myself. I’ve begun moving into the room.
My family requested I cook Chana Masala again, which I did.

things I read

I’ve made enormous progress on Anathem; I’ve read about half of it since last week, spending a full twelve hours on reading it over the last four days. Things are really heating up and I’m enjoying myself.

I still don’t think this book is for everyone, and perhaps just for a few people, but I appear to be square in the middle of the target audience.

things I listened to

As always, this is a very truncated summary.

Al Jarreau - Breakin’ Away
Michael Davis - Absolute Trombone and New Brass
Joseph Alessi, Imperial Brass - Bone-a-Fide Brass
Michael Bublé - Michael Bublé
Johnny Mathis - Misty
Bobby McFerrin - Bang! Zoom
Norah Jones - The Fall

links around the small web

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Weeknotes: W02, 2026

2026-01-11T05:44:03.000Z

Highlight of the week: The bicycle I’ll be using this year seems to now be all fixed up (tires replaced, seat fixed, etc.), and I’ve had a lot of fun riding it.

things I did

I made Chana Masala for my family, assisted by my youngest brother
I rode my bicycle for a 10km (approximately) round trip, including a ~175 meter climb up Pearl Hill! It was exhausting and I had to stop frequently to rest, but I’m proud of myself and had fun. My long-term stamina goal is to do this route in one go, without stopping.
I made a shell script to create my weeknotes from a template if it doesn’t already exist for the current week, then open it or the already-existing file in my text editor.
On a later ride, one of the tires on my bicycle burst, so my dad and I went took it to a repair shop nearby and got both tires replaced (they were very old and worn).
I bought some tempeh (a small block for RM1.80, less than $0.50USD) and played around in the kitchen with it with positive results; I’ve got some fun ideas on how to use it!
Made more progress on my upcoming publishing project, though not as much as I was hoping. The rest of my family has been on vacation, so I’ve been spending time with them before my brothers go back to school next week and my parents get back to work.

Looking back down from the top of Pearl Hill.

things I read

I started reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson. It’s a very slow read—feels like trying to jog through quicksand—but it’s also an intriguing concept so far and I look forward to seeing where it goes. It’s a very long book, though, so it may be a while before I finish.

words I looked up

inculcate

things I listened to

As usual, I listened to too many things to list them all, so here are a few albums that stood out.

Ben van Dijk - World Concerto
James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
The My Fair Lady original cast recording
Yo-Yo Ma - Soul of the Tango: The Music of Astor Piazzolla
Chick Corea, Brian Blade, and Christian McBride - Trilogy, Trilogy 2, and Trilogy 3

links around the small web

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