Week of Nov 25:
This is also at: https://markkrawczuk.blogspot.com/2025/11/week-of-nov-25-rabbit-holes-buildings.html
Personal Note:
I’ve been missing sending out my mostly weekly newsletter – “WHAT A WEEK”, and while I like sending out things on my Instagram – I missed sharing notes, findings and other stuff.
So, here I go again.
Despite me saying I am not going to start any new “hobbies” to the list, which already includes:
- Looking to pass the tour guide exam / take people on idiosyncratic tours
- Reading:
- studying flash cards
- using https://lovable.dev/ to vibe code an app that helps me keep track of buildings I like
- keeping a Google spreadsheet of
- hotel lobbies that are good to hang out in
- rooftop bars that are amazing
- Start doing palm reading / advisement
- Show an immersive, two person 90 minute experience of space travel in a bio-organic vessel to see the outpouring of 4th dimensional life force energy
- https://www.markkrawczuk.com/nebula
- also – trying to use Clay to keep track of all the folks I’m meeting through it.
- Find a job
- Move apartments
- just moving upstairs, but still…
- Exercise
- Run a 5k about three times a week
- Get 10,000 steps a day
- Oh, and have a social life and try to go on dates!
RABBIT HOLE:
Who was Irene Adler, from Sherlock Holmes – and how does that get us to San Francisco?
- Sometimes, when you are talking about your dating life – someone will ask you “what’s your type”? My response is someone who is a combination of Mary Poppins and Irene Adler. As a number of people are more familiar with the former, I sometimes need to describe the later…
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Adler – she was featured in just the short story “A Scandal in Bohemia” – published in July 1891 – as a former opera singer and actress.
- While not technically a criminal and bearing no malice towards Holmes, she outsmarts him and evades his traps. Sherlock Holmes respectfully refers to her afterwards as “the Woman”
- In the original story, Watson notes Holmes has no romantic interest in Adler or in women in general, pointing out the detective only exhibits a platonic admiration for her wit and cunning.
The real life person she was based on:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_Montez – who I refuse to summarize – the details are too good!
Lola was nanny to Lotta Crabtree
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotta_Crabtree
- American actress, entertainer, comedian, and philanthropist – rose to fame as a child performer, became one of the wealthiest and most beloved American entertainers of the late 19th century.
Lotta’s fountain – San Francisco, CA – https://maps.app.goo.gl/ffymGGVEkByfP8sm7
- From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotta%27s_Fountain
- Lotta’s fountain is a fountain at the intersection of Market Street, where Geary and Kearny Streets connect in downtown San Francisco, California. It was commissioned by actress Lotta Crabtree in 1875 as a gift to the city of San Francisco.
- More: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lotta-s-fountain
RABBIT HOLE:
What is the difference between “esoteric” and “arcane”
Arcane implies knowledge that is secret or mysterious, while Esoteric suggests knowledge that is difficult to understand and confined to a select, specialized group.
Arcane knowledge is often secret because it is inherently complex or forbidden, whereas esoteric knowledge is difficult for the general public due to its specialized nature.
This is different than: Abstruse – far from obvious and requiring significant effort to be understood; intellectually demanding and complex, or Recondite – dealing with very profound or difficult subject matter; little known and obscure, even to some experts.
RABBIT HOLE:
IBIT – Bitcoin exchange traded fund
The price of bitcoin has been dropping: https://www.google.com/search?q=bitcoin+price – and I asked someone where I should buy if I wanted to get involved.
They recommended IBIT, and exchange traded fund:
https://www.ishares.com/us/products/333011/ishares-bitcoin-trust-etf
As someone who intimidated by the idea of directly holding crypto – this seems like a good option!
PLACES:
In NYC – there is a new trend of late night tea and coffee house for non-alcoholic options
Some are franchises of Yemeni coffee houses that started in Dearborn, MI (home to a large Muslim population, andthe largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States):
Qahwah House Coffee
https://qahwahhouse.com
Haraz Coffee House
https://harazcoffeehouse.com/
MOKAFÉ
https://mymokafe.com/pages/locations
This one is a British / French-inspired Asian tea house
Prince Tea House
https://www.princeteahouse.com/
TOOLS OF INTEREST:
A few of the tools and software that came up recently:
Video
– Davinci Resolve (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve) – combines editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics and audio post production all in one software tool! And, the free version is better than most programs you need to pay for, and their training is amazing! Why is it free 😏 ? It’s owned by https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/ – who makes their money on hardware and cameras.
– Edit – https://creators.instagram.com/edits – free social media video editor – it combines simplicty with easy to use – I rather like it! It’s free – because Instagram wants you to make videos!
Graphic Design
https://www.affinity.studio/ – I’ve bought their suite of tools for graphic design, photo editing and page layout – for both the mac desktop and the iPad. Recently, for the desktop, they combined all the tools and released them for free! Why is it free 😏 ? They were bought by https://www.canva.com – who wants creatives to create templates and then distribute designs to rest of an organization through Canva.
https://www.canva.com – I actually love Canva too! Need a template for something? Like a brochure, invite, business card or something else??? Canva has really intuitive templates to use. Why is it free 😏 ? They want you to try it, and then have corporations buy seats for employees.
Password Managers
A friend is looking into https://1password.com/ (which has a regular fee associated with it) and https://bitwarden.com/ (which offers a free tier) and I had fun learning about the differences of both of them! Why is Bitwarden free 😏 ? It’s free for individuals, with paid tiers with more features and for bigger groups.
Personal CRM
https://clay.earth/ – helps you keep track of who you talked to, and what you talked about.
Vibe Coding
https://lovable.dev/ – Create apps and websites by chatting with AI. I’ve had a great time seeing an app come to life – going from an idea to a full blown concept that I can test. I definitely have my problems with it – all of which feel like rough edges of something new!
It all feels like the early days of the web – when there were all sorts of tools and schemes to get people to put up sites – and all the best practices were being worked out (and some being sabotaged).
I personally am looking forward to a world full of weird and wonderful apps built by well meaning enthusiasts that let you do interesting things!
Books
Anna’s Archive – https://annas-archive.org The largest truly open library in human history – preserved forever.
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna%27s_Archive
- Anna’s Archive is an open source search engine for shadow libraries and has said it aims to “catalog all the books in existence” and “track humanity’s progress toward making all these books easily available in digital form”.
- It claims not to be liable for downloads of copyrighted works, since the site indexes metadata but does not directly host any files, instead linking to third-party downloads.
Why is it free 😏 ? You can get faster downloads if you donate – https://annas-archive.org/donate
Computer Printer
I love Brother laser printers: they aren’t particularly fussy, are very reliable, and you can get thrid party cartridges that work just fine for a very reasonable amount of money.
I also love how they can print double sided, make booklets and wirelessly print.
This is a good black and white laser:
This is a good color laser:
Insect Control Through Hormone Disruption
- Gentrol – https://diypestcontrol.com/gentrol-igr-liquid-concentrate
- Tekko Pro – https://diypestcontrol.com/tekko-pro-igr
- From a Google Summary: Tekko Pro is generally considered a more comprehensive insect growth regulator (IGR) than Gentrol because it contains two active ingredients: a juvenile hormone analog (like Gentrol) and a chitin inhibitor, which prevents insects from molting. While both are effective IGRs for a variety of pests, Tekko Pro’s dual action offers enhanced effectiveness, particularly for cockroaches. For maximum control, both products should be used as part of a treatment plan that includes sanitation, baits, and a knockdown insecticide spray.
Events:
Spirited Away Psychic & Paranormal Night Holiday Edition!
Tuesday, December 9th, 7-10pm, @ Barrow’s Intense NY Tasting Room
ODDS & ENDS:
- Claque – in an opera house, someone who is paid to applaud (or boo) for effect – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claque or https://www.britannica.com/art/claque
- Claque (Spanish) – translated to English – mean tap dance
- Stuyvesant Street – NYC – from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuyvesant_Street
Although the street runs diagonally in relation to the Manhattan street
grid, geographically it is one of the few true east–west streets in
Manhattan, since most of the grid runs southwest–northeast at a 28.9
degree offset. It is a one-way street, running eastbound.
Photos
Questions, Questions, Questions:
- Best places to get a good deal / quality used:
- Speaker system for playing music in my apartment
- Immersion blender
- Countertop dishwasher
- What is the BEST WAY to hand wash dishes – that saves time. I am also open to thinking that also reduces the number of dishes created.
- Best way to find reliable places to go out dancing in NYC, earlier options would be good!
- How to reduce dark circles under eyes?
- Got any body who can get me into any of the private clubs or university clubs in the 40’s and 50’s for a look around or a tour?