darrencohen.me

Now Page

Last updated: March 2026

This page is a quick snapshot of what I am currently using, reading, and listening to.

Apps and Services

  • Personal E-Mail: Fastmail

    Why I use it: I have been a Fastmail user for well over a decade for a reason. It’s a neutral platform that respects web standards like imap and caldav. This means I can use the Fastmail app if I want, but it works just as well with everything else. On my iPhone I use the built in iOS mail app with the Calendar app while on my laptop I use Fastmail on the web. It all just works.
  • Storage: Dropbox

    Why I use it: Similar to Fastmail, Dropbox is the most neutral of the storage services. They do a great job of making sure their stuff works wherever you are. That does not mean I don’t use iCloud for certain things as well as Google Drive for others. My first choice though is Dropbox.
  • Notes: Apple Notes

    Why I use it: Over the last few years the updates to Apple Notes have turned it into a powerhouse. Even the icloud.com web home works pretty well for when I need to see something. It also does a great job storing pdf’s, images, etc.
  • Bookmark Manager: Raindrop.io

    Why I use it: II have never used a better service for keeping all my bookmarks organized. Given I use multiple platforms it also makes switching browsers easy.
  • Music Streaming: Spotify

    Why I use it: I hate everything about the app, but the playlist curation is too good to ignore. Looking forward to the upcoming update that lets me turn off video.
  • Podcasts: Overcast

    Why I use it: The simplicity and the audio quality have made Overcast my favorite podcast app since the day it came out. Also the controls it gives you lets you organize things the way I like.

Podcasts

Newsletters

Books

Currently Reading

  • Empire Falls by Richard Russo – Notes: A book I have had on a want to read list for a while, so finally picked it up.
  • The Doorman by Chris Pavone – Notes: A friend reccomend this book based on another one of Pavone’s novels and I have to say it’s a slog and I am only a quarter through. So far just a bunch of lazy tropes, will finish and report back!

Recently Finished

  • Before Elvis by Author – Preston Lauterbach I really enjoyed the story this book told even though the actual writing was medicore at best. It’s a quick read that it is worth it.
  • The Power Broker by Robert Caro – I first read this book over 20 years ago, but with all the recent buzz around its 50th anniversary, I decided to listen to it again on Audible. Still great, and still very long! One thing that stood out this time is how much of today’s nostalgia for the press we “used to have” is really a longing for something that never existed. The book makes clear that Moses was able to accomplish so much precisely because the press helped keep the public in the dark. There was no shortage of news coverage back then, and yet reporters largely stood down in the face of power. With one notable exception: the New York Post (yes, pre-Murdoch, it was actually a pretty decent rag).
  • Life After Cars by Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear – As an avid listener of The War on Cars podcsat, this was a must read as soon as it was released. It’s a very good fast read on the history of the automible, and it’s impacts on society. Then it does the important thing, discusses where we go from here and how we get there as a society.
  • Razor Girl – by Carl Hiaasen – I read a few of his books and they were always a fun and entertaining novels. They are mostly based in Florida and revolve around the craziness of that world in a funny and witty way, Then Apple turned one of the books, Bad Monkey, into a series which I loved. This book is the second of the series with Bad Moneky and it did not disappoint.