For example, corfu [0] versus company [1]. Company works with capf, but you can also write your own backends for it (specific to company). Corfu also works with capf, but all backends are capf functions instead of a corfu specific backend.

Another good example is eglot [2] versus lsp-mode [3]. Eglot is actually packaged with Emacs now.

There's also other stuff, like vertico [4] (and others that are recommended to download) versus helm/ivy.

I also want to mention that packages that hook into Emacs more don't necessarily mean that they're better. From my POV it's more like you get a lot more things for free and the documentation you dive into will be Emacs specific instead of package specific. It all comes down to preference.

Vertico/Counsel/Orderless is very nice, but Helm and Ivy are fully featured (I always forget how much Helm has for you).

I use corfu, eglot, and vertico now. I have thought about going back to helm and company, especially since I was very familiar with company's backends for a long time.

[0]: https://github.com/minad/corfu

[1]: https://github.com/company-mode/company-mode

[2]: https://github.com/joaotavora/eglot

[3]: https://github.com/emacs-lsp/lsp-mode

[4]: https://github.com/minad/vertico

I no longer use Helm (I'm doing Vertico/Orderless/Consult), but I've stuck with Org-mode since then. I sometimes venture out to other apps (like Joplin, Obsidian, Apple Notes, Apple Reminders, etc), but Org-mode just works best for me.

I don't even use it's most advanced features. The most complicated thing I do is maybe recurring schedules and using the agenda. I don't even have agenda view defined (although I really should at this point, it would be really helpful).

I use it every day at work with a daily log.org file keeping track of what I did each day, a habits.org file for recurring tasks I want to make sure I do (check my email, find a PR to review, etc).

I have various files to help organize my personal life - I heavily rely on Beorg [2] for that.

Looking back on my years with Org-mode, I feel like the primary reason I use it is for the ease of use with keybindings and dealing with plain text. I don't need to dig through menus or swipe around. I just go in and type, write, and delete.

[0]: https://tuhdo.github.io/helm-intro.html

[1]: https://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html

[2]: https://www.beorgapp.com/

I don't really see the point of asking LLMs to summarize something for me when I can just read about it myself.

I will do chats back and forth about specific topics, but then always ask for follow up resources I could dive into.

This isn't fool proof - I'll sometimes get resources that aren't really what I'm looking for - but it feels better than searching the web.

Especially when I don't have a clear idea of what search terms to look for.

I haven't tried things like the Socratic method though or having LLMs teach me something! I've really just been focused on reading lately.

My current is a used M1 MBP Pro with 16GB of ram.

I thought this was all I was ever going to need, but wanting to run really nice models locally has me thinking about upgrading.

Although, part of me wants to see how far I could get with my trusty laptop.

Thank you for all that you do.

My personal favorites are pretty much anything by Nujabes (including the soundtracks for Samurai Champloo), Fat Jon, and DJ Okawari.

I also like some classic albums in the genre like Donuts by J Dilla, Dr. No's Oxperiment by Oh No, and Endtroducing by DJ Shadow.

I will sometimes go through essential charts I find to dive into new genres, and other times I'll pick a random artist and go through their entire discography start to finish.

I highly recommend doing that with Talk Talk, their transition from 80s pop to experimental is phenomenal.

Many top economies have trade deficits. China is a unique example that goes against that, although I believe China is trying to have their population spend more rather than save.

If you drive a truck because you need a truck, then Cybertrucks don't really work.

That being said, I think a lot of people are in the first category.

The second category people have things that can be fit in a normal truck, but not a Cybertruck.

I'm a fan of the randomly generated emails as well. That service integrates with 1Password too.

I haven't gone through something similar, but I think something that helped me out the 2nd time I looked for a job was how valued work experience is.

As a new grad, personal projects are useful because it adds to the pile of things for an employer to look at (along with internships). After that though, personal projects matter less and less compared to real world experience.

(There are exceptions to this though. Personal projects matter less because you don't face real world problems with them. If you have a personal project that gets users, that is definitely something worth talking about).

I recommend just applying to smaller, lesser-known companies just to get some experience. My 1st job was at a small financial tech company that no one ever heard of, and they hired in a lower-cost, non-competitive area. We used a very old tech stack, and had custom everything - that didn't stop me from getting hired at other places.

You should check out: universities, banks, insurance companies, and marketing firms. Applying to companies that are tech companies is pretty rough right now, but you can find non-tech companies that are hiring.

(There's no such thing as a "non-tech" company, but I really just mean companies that don't advertise themselves as tech).

You could also do something like use Indeed, pick a smaller town, and then minimize the miles.

I unfortunately primarily use Firefox, but still this is great. I've manually tried to keep track of bookmarks via org, but of course I'll always forget to update it.

There are so many things built into org-mode and so many tools built around org-mode that you'll be able to find something that feels comfortable.

My other comment describes what I currently use, but I only really got there after trying out a bunch of different things after a while.

For example, I have a file called tracker.org that is just for recurring habits/tasks that I set up with org-schedule.

I've thought about writing up a blog post about how I use org-mode, since I've been using every day for at least 8 years.

* Year

* Month

** Day

For example: * 2025

* January

** Saturday 01/10/26

In each day heading I'll have either a short note (like saying what meeting happened), or a link to a separate org file.

I keep an org file for each JIRA ticket I'm working on, so I'll link it out there. The presence of a link indicates that I've worked on that ticket that day.

Then in each individual ticket file I'll just keep top level day headings with notes of what I've done on the ticket, as well as other headings.

For example, an org file for a ticket would look something like:

* PR 1

#+BEGIN_SRC markdown

I like to pre-write up my PRs in a doc block in markdown in org mode just to use my keybindings. I copy-paste when I create a PR.

#+END

* Monday 01/01/26

- Started work on this today, figuring out where in the codebase to touch

- Straightforward, got a PR out

When I need to find something, I use something like consult-org-heading or consult-outline or consult-line.

Beorg on iOS [0] makes it great. I've also started using things like org-ql [1] and org-super-agenda [2] to make me even more productive.

I also have a daily log org file I use at work. It helps me keep track of what I need to do and what I've done. It makes yearly reviews easier as well!

[0]: https://www.beorgapp.com/

[1]: https://github.com/alphapapa/org-ql

[2]: https://github.com/alphapapa/org-super-agenda

As I figure out my manual testing, I'll write out the steps that I took in my PR.

I've found that writing it out as I go does two things: 1) It makes it easier to have a detailed PR and 2) it acts as a form of rubber-ducking. As I'm updating my PR I'll realize steps I've missed in my testing.

Something that also helped out with my manual testing skill was working in a place that had ZERO automated testing. Every PR required a detailed testing plan that you did and that your reviewer could re-create.

When I used to be much more active in online music communities I would post a 9x9 of my most listened to albums of the past week and discuss them.