Using Obsidian With Viwoods AI Paper Mini
Ever since I got the Viwoods AI Paper Mini I have been developing processes for using it with Obsidian, which I use for my second brain. At present I have Obsidian installed on the tablet but I do not use it for writing on the tablet. I do have Obsidian Sync running on the tablet but not syncing all of my oldest notes imported from Evernote.
Have three Papers (notebooks) that I am exporting from the tablet in to Obsidian and I am doing this in two ways. I am using a Viwoods Sync Obsidian plugin, which is currently in development, to import PNG images of the notebook pages in to Obsidian which I can then view and link to from other Obsidian notes. The plugin uses the Viwoods native .note file as input, creates PNG image files of the pages, and then creates an Obsidian note (markdown) page with the image embedded.
For the second export method I am using the AI Text Conversion function of the Viwoods Papers app to create ASCII text of my handwriting. The AI feature uses the Gemini Pro Version 3 model and I manually select one more more pages for conversion. I find the Gemini Pro does the best job of converting my handwriting. I copy the result to the clipboard, switch to Obsidian on the tablet, open the note in which I am storing the text version of the notebook and paste the text in. After the updated note syncs to my desktop computer I then edit what I pasted to correct what is usually a small number of errors.
Finally, in the correct areas of the text version of the note I insert links to the image file, created by the Viwoods Sync plugin, that is the source of the text. I can then open image side-by-side with the text with a right-click of the link and Split Pane right.
In feedback I provided to the developers of the Viwoods Sync plugin I asked if they could do OCR of the notes as part of the sync process, which they suggest might be a feature they add in the future. The issue for that part of the plugin might be the quality of the handwriting recognition.
Raspberry Pi USB Gadget
Back in 2019 I learned about and testing using a Raspberry Pi as an accessory to an iPad. The idea is useful for people who want a local Linux terminal on an iPad rather than making a remote connection to one on a server. People who use terminal apps like vi or emacs and developer tools are the ones who find this the most useful.
The process involves connecting a Raspberry Pi to an iPad via USB-C cable, and software on the Raspberry Pi make the USB-C connection function like an ethernet network connection. You get an IP address that you can use to login to the Pi using SSH, at which point then have access to all the tools available in the Raspberry Pi OS. If a VNC Server is running on the Pi you can even get a desktop connect using a VNC Viewer.
The instructions for setting this all up,, in which is called USB Gadget Mode, are not daunting but take a little bit of work. Today I learned that the functionality for USB Gadget Mode is now available directly in the Raspberry PI OS.
We watched Star Fleet Academy last night, which started slow in the first episode and got better in the second. Most likely because they have to build so much backstory. What I find amusing is that the show is set in San Francisco thousands of years in the future and the Golden Gate Bridge still stands in all its glory, and incredible feat of engineering if you ask me.
I wonder, is all the posturing about Greenland really about data centers for AI? What is the benefit of such a conquest to the wealthy class and how does Trump profit from it?
Ted Gioia, 25 Propositions About The New Romanticism:
The dominant system today is built on analysis. And it’s worth remembering that the root meaning of analysis is the reduction of things into parts. Holistic thinking, in contrast, is always inherently Romantic. You can also call this visionary thinking.
Productively Retired
I am less than a month in to my retirement and I am still feeling my way around. One thing I am noticing about myself are changes in some of my interests online. Over the years, like many people in tech, I have had an interest in productivity apps, particularly ones built around processes like Getting Things Done or PARA. Inevitably that leads me to installing an app or two and checking them out. Over the years I have tried so many todo apps!
Now that I am retired I think that my definition of productivity is not consistent with how most people on the Internet define it. Right now I am thinking retirement is less about getting things done and more about the best ways to spend my time, and none of the apps I’ve seen has this focus.
It is another bitterly cold day here, so much so that I really don’t want to go outside, which impedes my walking plan. I walk several times a day, primarily after eating, as a key tool for managing glucose. On days like today I take those walks on the treadmill, but that does not come with the benefits of being outdoors.
We Know The Problem
I think unrestrained capitalism is what is destroying the United States. One way is by corporate ownership of “the press,” often referred to as the “fourth estate” for its role in the U.S. as enshrined by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, because the capitalistic profit motive overrides reporting. We are seeing how threats made by the U.S. government toward the corporations that own “the press” results in either non-existent or bad reporting.
A Supreme Court that fulfills its responsibility for preventing tyranny would rule that threats made by the government to the press and their owners violates the First Amendment, but unfortunately our current Supreme Court sees its role as preserving/establishing the unitive executive theory as its prime directive.
Capitalism is also behind the money in PACS and lobbying resulting in Congress only representing a minority that provides its members with money. The corrosion of Congress is the ultimate problem because its law making role will ultimately need to be made to correct our current state, and those laws would work against politician’s self interests. What I think needs to happen is the classification of large financial donations, which would have to be defined, as the emoluments they are and not an act of free speech.
The Constitution has two emoluments clauses because the founders knew that quid pro quo was bad for democracy. Quid pro quo is the reason why Congress in reality only represents a minority of the United States and not the citizens as intended.
A society of no restraints, which is what we are becoming, is not a free society because vices become virtues. The greed that drives one for more and more wealth and power is seen by too many as the virtue of a successful American, but that greed expressed in our unrestrained capitalism leads to a zero sum game. Zero sum games cannot be won when democracy, freedom for all, is the prime directive. Democracy and unrestrained capitalism cannot co-exist.
It’s not often that the weather radio in our bedroom has an alert during winter but we heard one this morning for snow squall warning with white out conditions. Windy.com is indicating 22 mph winds which Accuweather is saying makes the real feel at 0 degrees.
This morning I watched this interview of James Talarico by Ezra Klein, and it was interesting enough to me that I did not fast forward through it. I think the most valuable information came toward the end when James talked about working with a Republican colleague on legislation because it had two valuable lessons.
First, form relationships with people you disagree with, particularly such people with whom you have to work with. Relationships take time to find common bonds and love to the point at which even though you have disagreements the bond, the love, is more important.
Second is humility, which is a willingness to admit that you might be wrong and be willing to change your mind. I find this second point so important because it is literally foundational to the teaching of Jesus.
It is so easy to hate the other that you do not know and with whom you are not in relationship, and progress is not possible without being willing to be vulnerable to admit you are wrong and publicly learn that lesson.
I agree with James that the path from where we are today in the United States to something better is the path of Jesus, which is counter to the norm of civilization as it existed in the time of Jesus and prevails today. What the world tells us is normal is the idol of power and that the only path to peace is through power. Power, like all idols, is made equivalent to God.
The path of Jesus leads to the cross. It is the exact opposite of power, and instead of an idol his path of self-emptying takes us to what is real and that is love.
“Heritage Americans: ‘You’re less American than I am because my ancestors built this country.’ Also Heritage Americans: ‘Don’t blame me for slavery or segregation. I’m not responsible for what my ancestors did,’” – Avik Roy.
Source: https://intellectualoid.com/2026/01/16/friday-1-16-26/
I was taught to not be a hypocrite, the implication being such a person cannot be trusted because you don’t know their true values. My childhood friend once told me what he dislikes the most is hypocrisy. I think we all at one time or another are a hypocrite, but the real problem is not recognizing it as a problem enough to be embarrassed by. In fact, it seems as though most people today have so little self-awareness that they can’t be embarrassed.
In his essay today Om Malik shared this quote from psychologist Rollo May, observing 1950s America:
The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity.
Malik says May diagnosed this when McCarthyism was literally hunting down anyone who thought differently. The subject of Malik’s post was technology platforms, but I think in reality the quote is most applicable to where we are in the United States today. Supremacy does not seek peaceful co-existence, which is the alleged premise of the founding of the U.S., but rather conformity and compliance to a hierachial world view of winners and losers.
I don’t understand how anyone can think the U.S. annexation of Greenland is a good idea. First off, if you were a citizen of Greenland why would you want to be a U.S. citizen? Second off, in what way does that annexation help us normal citizens of the U.S.? I thought we were all “America First.”
Bumbling Cubs Front Office
Kyle Tucker signed a 4 year, $240m contract with the Dodgers. In my opinion the Cubs trading for Tucker last year and giving up a top prospect is one of the worst decisions made by Jed Hoyer. The mistake the Cubs keep making is that they seem unwilling to pay for the positions of need and then to appease the fans just sign whatever player regardless of the position, and that is a bad way to run a team.
Last season the Cubs need was at third base and Alex Bregman was available, but the Cubs were not aggressive in filling their need and for some reason settled on renting Tucker for a year. The only way the trade for Tucker made sense is if the Cubs had extended him before the season started, once the season started with no extension it was obvious the Cubs had made a mistake. Redemption for the front office would have been a deep playoff run, but instead Tucker was injured for most of the second half of the season and the Cubs lost to the Brewers in the divisional round.
Now the Cubs have signed Bregman to finally fill their need, but they could have done that last year and not given up any prospects in the process. It would have been much smarter for them to have taken the money they gave to Tucker and spent it on Bregman. All around, these were bad decisions and even bad business decisions by the owner. Of course, Ownership showed their bad business skills by extending Hoyer last year before the trade deadline, effectively rewarding Hoyer for mediocre work.
I received the Day One book version of this site. It’s a very cool bounded book print out of what I wrote here during the past year.
I have created the list of the books that I read in 2025. Unfortunately, I did not reach my goal for the number of books that I read but I am expecting to be able to exceed this number this year as I have more time to read. I have also updated my large outline of the books that I have read since 2020.
I accidentally bought the fat free version of the coffee creamer that I use and I am amazed by how much of a difference, for the worse, there is between it and the version that I regularly use.
I am shocked that the Chicago Cubs signed Alex Bregman to what will be the third most lucrative contract in team history. Ownership has not shown a willingness to sign big contracts since the one they gave Dansby Swanson. What I see from BleedCubbieBlue.com is that the math pegs the Cubs right at the luxury tax threshold, which I suspect is ownership’s upper limit. Being that the Cubs are in a large market, they ought to be more willing to pay the luxury tax, if they are willing I would love to see them pursue Cody Bellinger for a one year deal, but that won’t happen. The article reports that the Cubs are spending 36% of their revenue on player salaries, putting them at 26th in the league. Comparable big market teams New York Yankees and Los Angelas Dodgers are spending 50% (11th) and 73% (2nd) respectively.
While earlier this week it felt like spring, today Mother Nature sent a reminder that it is still January.
Military Not Law Enforcement
The killing of Renee Nicole Good by that ICE agent is bad enough, but the words of people in government, particularly J.D. Vance is what I am most troubled by.
Law Enforcement in the United States is vested by the state with the ability to take a life. The social contract between citizens and the state in this matter is that Law Enforcement is held to high standard.