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Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

diaryemail.com

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Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#221

Post by cbanek »

tlackemann wrote: post #118

Alternatively, jrnl.sh. It's tiny, allows you write using your favorite editor, and can be backed up or replicated with simple git. It's even encrypted. Maybe I'm not the target demographic for services like these but I would never trust my personal thoughts with a service like this.

I recently converted to jrnl.sh a few months ago and I am loving it. I used to run my own private wordpress, and it was nothing but headaches, and fear of dataloss.

I use jrnl.sh on mac, and I can easily have it in my documents folder and sync it up to iCloud. I also back it up to a few other places, and since it's encrypted, I don't worry too much about people being able to peek.

The format being very simple has made it easy to hack up python scripts which allowed me to bring all my old livejournal entries, medium entries, and wordpress entries together into one diary.

Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#222

Post by franga2000 »

slim wrote: post #220
masukomi wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

very nice @maccaw unlike "Diary Email" your readme makes it very clear where the emails go, and since I'd host it I know no-one would read it.

err.. You know that emails transit un clear text, right?

Not if the server admins of both sides are even remotely competent. A good "email server" will at least allow, if not enforce encryption clientserver and (if supported by the other party) serverrecipients_server.

Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#223

Post by mirimir »

ViViDboarder wrote: post #214
mirimir wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I addressed it in a comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22045670 As I read that, users must trust you. There's nothing that would actually prevent you from accessing the data. So it's arguably misleading to call it a "private diary".

I disagree. I believe that it’s more common for “private” to mean “between you and the company”. Eg. Private accounts on other services, or private information associated with your account.

You certainly have a point about "private". As you say, with a service provider. Or with family, friends and associates.

But none of that is relevant for "private diary". There, it's privacy between you and your diary.

Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#224

Post by masukomi »

timlin wrote: post #168
reikonomusha wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn’t that just an email hack?

No, not every email server supports it. For example, I know that Office 365 Exchange doesn't support it as I tried it yesterday.

that just means Office 365 has a bug in it, not that using that feature is an "email hack"

the plus syntax is part of the email address specification. any server that doesn't support it is by definition buggy because some mail won't work as expected or designed.

Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#225

Post by giarc »

alfonsodev wrote: post #43
kossnocorp wrote: post #2

Yesterday Paul Graham asked for an email diary service ( https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1216714155731890176 ): > Is there an easy way to build, or a startup that offers, something that will email you once a day asking "What's happening?" and then accumulate the replies? I did just that! Let me know what you think.

He also wrote > Unfortunately, though, in this one case I can't promise that if you build it, I'll use it. Unless I know you, I can't trust that you won't read my emails. (I trusted the previous startup that did it because we'd funded them.) How do you solve the "won't read my emails" problem ? I've seen the statement in your website: > Your data stored and transferred securely. No one will ever read or process your…

Remember KISS. He wants a Gmail add-on? Keep it even simpler.

Create a filter that applies a "Journal" label to emails from your own address. Then create a filter to have it skip your inbox. Whenever you want to view your journal, just search for archived mail with that label.

Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#226

Post by projektfu »

ska wrote: post #160
kossnocorp wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know that, but I would assume that just someone with @google.com or @uber.com signed up at the service ;-)

Usually it has to be a little bit more than that (but not much) and part of a contract. If you just start adding corporate logos to your site you'll end up talking to lawyers eventually - at least if you have any sort of traction. On the other hand "Used by X" can mean anything from "X uses us as a core part of their workflows" and "A small team at X uses this sometimes". So don't give it much weight.

An intern at Google used it in a slideshow once... Used by Google!

Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#227

Post by vallas »

austenallred wrote: post #177
deadmetheny wrote: post #163

Paul Graham Paul Graham Paul Graham. Paul Graham Paul Graham Paul Graham Paul Graham? Paul Graham Paul Graham Paul Graham Paul Graham! Paul Graham.

You're literally typing those words on a website that Paul Graham created.

this guy is making art by the way

Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#228

Post by projektfu »

polynomial wrote: post #189
Retr0spectrum wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it's a gmail-specific "feature". Other mail services may also implement it, I guess.

https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc822 (viz. not a gmail-specific feature)

I didn't see where the + had any special significance in RFC822 beyond being part of an atom. foo+a and foo+b could be two different recipients if the server desired.

Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#229

Post by nausher81 »

I use an App called Daylio [https://daylio.webflow.io/] as a personal diary and mood tracker.

It has a single notification per day which is directly actionable (Asks for your mood for the day).

Data is stored locally on the phone and can be backed up to your iCloud/Google Drive.

I have found this app to be more habit forming in terms of creating a micro-diary, rather than sitting down and jotting thoughts.

Re: Show HN: Write a private diary using good old email

#230

Post by vonnieda »

seancsnyder wrote: post #217
vonnieda wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wrote WhoaLife ( https://github.com/vonnieda/WhoaLife ) when OhLife shut down. It's self hosted for privacy and designed for Heroku Free Tier. Takes about 15 minutes and no code to deploy. I've been using it since OhLife shut down and it completely fills the gap for me. I recently modernized the code a bit, ported it from Mongo to Postgres and improved the selection of the random entry that is sent to you, but I ha…

I did the same thing, and even called it by the same name...woahlife :-)

That's such a strange coincidence! Do you still use it?
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