Wordcycler 2.0 Released

It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve released a new version of Wordcycler, the program for two-way Instapaper sync for Windows and your e-book reader. There is only one major change — now, instead of scraping the site, Wordcycler uses the offical Instapaper full API.

This means two things for current users:

1. Wordcycler will be more reliable and future-proof. Since Wordcycler was nothing but a glorified site scraper, it has always been one minor Instapaper site upgrade away from being completely broken. We’ve been lucky so far, but it’s a bomb waiting to go off. The official API is guarranteed to keep working.

2. To use Wordcycler, you must be an Instapaper subscriber. Only subscriber accounts have access the full API. It’s only $1 a month and helps keep Instapaper running, so I recommend you subscribe if you haven’t already.

I realize this is a trade-off, so if this is a deal-breaker you should not upgrade. But I will not be updating the 1.x versions of Wordcycler, so if Marco Arment changes the HTML and breaks Wordcycler, you will be on your own. Using the full API is the right thing to do, if only just to be a good Instapaper citizen.

The Future of Wordcycler

The fact is, I don’t use Wordcycler myself much anymore. I own a Mac now, and I do most of my Instapaper reading on my iPhone. Wordcycler is not a money-making project, so my time and attention has been spent on my day job, my personal life, and other projects – the usual reasons. Wordcycler 2.0 has been sitting on my drive half-finished for about six months, but I wanted to finish it up to leave things in a good spot.

So that’s a long way of saying that this could be the last release of Wordcycler. It’s been a fun ride, and it’s been very gratifying to see so many people get use out of it. But it’s time to stop kidding myself that I have the time to maintain it, especially now that I’m no longer an active user myself. I’m exploring the possibility of open-sourcing Wordcycler, but no promises yet.

What I’ve Been Reading (History)

1. David Crane, Scott of the Antarctic. My recent fascination with Scott’s two polar expeditions and the “heroic age” of Antarctic exploration probably merits its own post. Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s first-hand account, the aptly-named The Worst Journey in the World is also a great read.
2. Alfred Lansing, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.
3. Charles Mann, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. This is maybe the best history book I’ve ever read. Interesting facts on almost every page.
4. Charles Mann, 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. Also endlessly fascinating, if not quite as strong as its predecessor.
5. Max Hastings, Winston’s War: Churchill, 1940-1945. I was surprised by how desperate the British plight in WWII was, how impotent they actually were through most of it, and how much it bankrupted the empire.

That will probalby be the last of the non-fiction for a while; I’m just starting 1Q84, which clocks in at over 900 pages.

On Switching to a Standing Desk

About a month ago I decided to try working at a standing desk. Four trashcans, two shelves, and several books later, I created this:

Despite its humble appearance, it functioned beautifully. It's since been replaced by an honest, actual adjustable-height desk, and I'm still standing and liking it a lot.

So why did I do this? This whole idea of standing while working has gotten a lot of talk recently, most prominently in the New York Times article Stand Up While You Read This. This blog post by Jesse Noller and Episode 21 of Build and Analyze finally convinced me to give it a shot.

Here what I was hoping to get out of it:

• Better posture. Like many people, I tend to slouch in my chair. I find it easier to keep better posture while standing.
• More active. The thing about standing at a desk is that I'm not just standing -- I'm fidgeting, stepping back and forth, and generally moving around. This makes me...
• More alert. I tend to get sleepy after lunch. Having to keep myself upright without the aid of a chair counteracts that. It keeps me on task.
• Respect(?) When people first come across you using your standing desk, they give you an expression that could either be respect or what's-up-with-that-dude wariness (I can never tell).

My initial goal was to stand nonstop all day. During my two weeks with the nonadjustable desk, that's all I could do. It was a good way to get over the initial habit-building hump, but let's just say that by the end of the day, my feet were ... tired.

Since I've gotten the adjustable desk, I've settled into a 2/3 standing, 1/3 sitting routine. Much of what I read recommended just powering through the pain until it gets better, but I find that simply breaking up the standing with an couple of hours of sitting in the middle of the day helps enormously.

So, if you want to get started, here's what I recommend:

Rig something on top of your existing desk. It's cheap and easy (and fun!). I used parts scavenged from around the office. Some have used soft drink cans. Adjustable desks are expensive so you want to make sure that you'll actually use it before shelling out.

As for actually making it a habit, there are two philosophical camps out there. The first camp says that humans are evolved to walk around barefoot and that any pain you experience is just your lazy body getting readjusted to its true evolutionary mode of being. The other camp recommends getting good insoles and a stress mat, and generally working your way into the whole standing routine.

I probably fall more in the second camp, but I haven't bought anything special. I simply wear my normal shoes and sit down when it starts to hurt. Seems to work for me.