My Subscription Services

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Steven Garrity at Acts of Volition writes of the online services he pays for. This prompted me to make my own quick list.

Some of these links include referral codes, but that’s not the motivation driving this post. They do, however, help me out.

Internet Infrastructure

• Micro.blog
  Where I spend a lot of my Internet socialising time. It also hosts my blog, photos and podcast.

• Blot
  An alternative blog that I set up mainly because I was interested in Blot. I really should be spread across two locations, but what can you do?

• Fastmail
  For secure and private email and calendars.

• iCloud
  My cloud storage of choice.

Software As a Service

• Textexpander
  I rely on this for some templating. I don’t like it’s interface. If there was something better, I’d switch.

• Inoreader
  Solid RSS reader that has many features I don’t use.

• Harmonizely
  The only online booking system that works well with Fastmail.

• Setapp
  I use enough of the apps provided through Fastmail to make it worthwhile.

• Blackblaze
  I’ve been burnt by hard drive failures in the past. I hope never to have to actually ever restore anything.

• YNAB
  I can only afford all these subscriptions because YNAB helps me budget for them.

• Sanebox
  Keeping the clutter from my inbox.

• 1Password
  Secure, unique passwords are mandatory in my world.

News

• Australian Financial Review
  Got a 3-month discounted trial.
  Unlikely to continue past this month.

• The Washington Post
  Got a cheap deal.
  Unlikely to continue upon its conclusion.

• The Saturday Paper
  Got a cheap subscription.
  One of the few places for longer-form Australian journalism.
  I don’t love it though, and expect not to continue.

Entertainment

• Apple TV+
  Still on the free trial but I’ve enjoyed enough of the content that I will stay.

• Apple Music
  I’m in the Apple ecosystem and I like being able to call up music from wherever.
  Its playlists are never as good as the ones on Spotify.

• Netflix
  It’s the default.

• Amazon Prime
  Has enough content to keep us onboard.

• Disney+
  Good value for the kids, and The Mandalorian.

• The Unmade Podcast
  I laugh more through this podcast than any other.

• NBL Pocket Podcast
  I am a co-host, so I have to support it!

• Dithering
  An enjoyable and insightful bite-sized podcast. Pay for the things you want to exist in the world.

• Like You Podcast
  A great relaxation podcast for children. I admire what the creator, Noah, is doing.

iOS Apps

• Day One
  I’ve been journalling in Day One for many years. I run hot and cold with it, but I enjoy the metadata it captures in addition to my thoughts and memories.

• Drafts
  Where text starts (when I remember). Used to kick-off OmniFocus templates for work.

• Pzizz
  Coming to the end of a 5-year subscription.
  Used less than I used to, but is still helpful at bedtime.

• AnyList
  Reliable shopping list and recipe manager.
  Contains a few random other lists as well.

• New York Times Crossword
  Brain food, especially the earlier in the week puzzles!

• 1Blocker
  I don’t like Internet ads, and this covers macOS and iOS.

• Headspace
  I had a run of around 150 days, then I just… stopped.

• Castro
  The Inbox has saved me, but I do switch between this and Overcast.

Other

• Readwise
  I read a lot. I’m using this service to try to help me remember it.

• Flickr Pro
  An unused subscription. It houses a semi-complete photo archive.
  I don’t need this but I have a weird emotional connection to Flickr, despite hardly ever using it.
  I should get rid of this subscription. Life would go on.

• ✴️ Also on Micro.blog