This an archive of my Now page, inspiration from MacSparky.
Updated: July 2026
AI: Still have AI FOMO — but it’s turned into something I act on. I’m not using my Gemini gems as much anymore. I’ve shifted most of my work over to a setup of Claude with Obsidian (for the .md files) and built a personal one that helps me run my routines. I also use it to go deeper on what I see, read and watch — with a thinking-partner skill I stole from @pmarca. On the work side, I finished a 4-day MIT course on AI in Manufacturing in June — we’ve all started building our AI skills for mundane tasks in the office.
Reading: I just finished Odyssey (not The Odyssey, but Stephen Fry’s Odyssey) and The Iliad (Troy in this case) — my second time through both. To my surprise, my favourite is The Iliad; I remember enjoying The Odyssey far more the first time round. The Iliad is full of double-edged leadership decisions — one could write Harvard Business School cases out of the choices of the leaders: Agamemnon, King Priam and Hector (the only innocent person in the epic?) I realise that every time I read The Iliad, I root more for the Trojans. Next up: Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, and at the same time, Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act.
Writing: Published a piece on Dubai (and the UAE). But my bigger project is a biography I’ve been working on for the past year — the first draft of the first section is done and I’m revising it chapter by chapter.
Music: Piano is going well. Still singing with Detuned Radio too, even though there seem to be no concerts until the New Year. Working on vocal technique on my own at the same time. Guitar is parked for now; piano has taken over.
Movement: Boxing, plus running and cycling. I’m striving to keep the weight in check through the summer.
Updated: March 2026
AI: I have AI FOMO. Currently using Gemini as main. My most frequent daily use of it is to get YouTube videos and Substack posts summarised. If I am intrigued, I begin a chat with Sebastian my agent (gem) for this specific purpose. Sebastian is Sebastian because of Heidi which I used to watch as a young boy. My other gems are:
Wren (trained on Warren Buffet and Peter Lynch) for investing,
Claire (trained on this website) for blogging help,
Salman (books and reading club help, no training) where I discuss all the books I read, generate questions for the book club,
Dr Patel (light training on health issues) for all my health questions and data,
Hector (my chess partner) for helping me improve,
I also use an updated Google Notebook to keep all my finance reports in to ask questions, otherwise Wren is too slow
Reading: My Classics (fiction) bookclub is on. We just finished Pride and Prejudice and starting The Odyssey now before the new film comes out
Writing: Got 2 posts I’m working on which might not be completed. One on Dubai which I visited for the first time in September. One on Turin and football (why I don’t like it as much as I used to). Finished editing my wife’s 50th birthday present book, turned out very well. I finished the first draft of my father’s biography
Music: Regular singing lessons ongoing, regular piano and ear training as well. I no longer take guitar lessons, piano took over but I was hugely motivated by a concert I went to this week (Şakalı Akustik)
Movement: Still boxing but only once a week these days. Plus some indoor cycling and running around the neighbourhood