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Photo by Frank Holleman on UnsplashIn a recent episode of Cal Newport's The Deep Life Podcast — Episode 238: The Joys Of The Reading Life — Cal provided his well-thought-out ideas on how to have a deep reading life and how that intersects with our digital technologies.
I agree with Cal that reading deeply needs concentration and is free from distraction. Physical books are excellent for those that want that experience.
I also agree that reading on the Kindle (or other dedicated eBook readers) can be a deep reading platform. My Kindle Paperwhite is my primary device for all my reading with my eyes. [NOTE: Listening to audiobooks is reading. Don't get me started.]
He is also correct that reading on most people's standard mobile phones or digital tablets like an iPad is not a deep reading platform.
If you do end up reading on a phone or tablet, here are my recommendations.
My phone already has very minimal alerts, but with a quick swipe, I turn on "Do Not Disturb." And in my Kindle application on the phone, I have changed the background color (Layout > Page Color) from white (default) to green. The other options are: tan, white, or black. I'd choose tan if you don't like the green color.
I find having that green background – uncommon like the tan – tells my mind that I am now in reading mode and not scanning mode (like with a white or black background). This lets me read more deeply when I don't have my Kindle and only my phone. Once I finish reading, I turn off "Do Not Disturb."
Reading on my iPad is more straightforward, as I have 'Do Not Disturb' always on. And I am only reading content on my iPad with colors: comic books, WWII books with maps, Star Wars guides, recipe books, etc. I don't change the background color on my iPad.
Thoughts? Comments? Feedback is always welcome!
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Download! (Size 0.692-MBs, Running Time 1m49s)Today's podcast references material from the following links:- https://kevinkelly.gumroad.com/l/recomindos
- https://www.ubuntupit.com/no-more-windows-woes-wine-8-2-brings-better-compatibility-for-linux-users/
- https://cybersecuritynews.com/red-team-tools/
Feel free to follow along with Steve Holden at Twitter For technology news only updates follow TechNewsRadio @ Twitter.
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My daughter Crason recently participated in a White Coat Ceremony at Long Beach State University at the start of her nursing program.
This ceremony is done at"enlightened" medical schools for doctors and nurses that expose their students at the beginning of their program with their "oath" of service vice at the end.
I believe this follows the best practices from Franklin Covey's thinking of "The End In Mind" and David Allen's thoughts on "Outcoming Thinking."
This is the oath the student took at the end of the ceremony:
In dedicating myself to the profession of nursing, I solemnly pledge that I will:
- Uphold the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering as my primary concerns;
- Act in a compassionate and trustworthy maner in all aspects of my care;
- Treate my patients, peers, and faculty with kindness, respect, and dignity;
- Apply my knowledge, experience, and skills to the best of my ability to assure optimal outcomes of my patients;
- Exercise sound profressional judgetment while abiding by legal and ethical requirements;
- Accept the lifelong obligation to improve my professional knowledge and comptenence;
- Contribute to a healthy and safe learning environment;
- Promote, advocate for and strive to protect the health, safterty, and rights of the patient, regardless of their social or economic status, personal attributes, or nature of their health problems.
With this pledge, I accept the duties and responsiblities that embody the nursing profession.
I take this oath voluntarily and with the full realization of the responsibility with which I am entrusted by the public, my patients, and thier families.
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Photo by Thought Catalog on UnsplashBack in 2019, I embarked on a daily morning personal devotion and growth plan by reading these two books on my Kindle Paperwhite (no ads):
- “Unshakeable: 365 Devotions for Finding Unwavering Strength in God’s Word” by Christine Caine
- “The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman
Since then, I’ve rotated the faith devotional book yearly, but I have kept re-reading The Daily Stoic (it is really that good). The previous faith devotionals were:
- “God Is With You Every Day: 365-Day Devotional” by Max Lucado (in 2020)
- “Fixing My Eyes On Jesus: Daily Moments in His Word” by Anne Graham Lotz (in 2021)
- “The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge” by Coach Tony Dungy (in 2022)
In addition to reading these, I have been practicing journaling whatever comes to mind before my readings. Looking back over my journaling, I see some themes: what happened the day before or what is going to happen soon; prayers; concerns/worries; and insights into how I am feeling and how I am doing professionally and personally. I also capture some thoughts or ideas that stand out from my readings. I have tried to journal both on paper and digitally. I have currently settled on paper. I am currently using a Moleskine that was given to me by Manager-Tools.com.
Another practice I have been doing is highlighting those verses mentioned in the faith devotionals in my Bible (NIV Faithlife Study Bible: Intriguing Insights To Inform Your Faith). It is becoming very interesting to see which verses are used across different authors and which are used only once or twice. An additional insight is how much of the Bible hasn’t been referenced. It is also especially interesting to me when my “Faith Daily Devotional” is very aligned with the “Stoic Daily Read.”
This year, I am going to read in the morning:
- “Quiet Times with God Devotional: 365 Daily Inspirations” by Joyce Meyer
- “The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman
- “The Vagabond’s Way: 366 Meditations on Wanderlust, Discovery, and the Art of Travel” by Rolf Potts
I am looking forward to Rolf’s book as I’ve been listening to his podcast for years, and he inspired me to take this Europe Trip in 2019.
#human_generated_content
Updated: 10/27/2025
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Just like last year, I have created some downloadable files of "continuous" calendars for 2023:
I hopefully did the conversion from 2022 to 2023 correctly. If you find an error then please let me know.
These were inspired by Kairos Cognition very elegant calendar:
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I learned a lot about Adam Smith that I didn't know about in this three part podcast from Freakonomics.com: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Here are a few examples:
- There is a play about him
- He was from Scotland
- I need to read The Theory of Moral Sentiments
- There a ton of other books and articles about him I wasn't aware of (see them at end of Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3)
- People with very different political views can quote him as if he was on their side
- The history of the East India Company sounds fascinating to deep dive into
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