Essays, poems, and personal reflections from the desk and drawer.

notes

Changing browser in VS Code

21 August 2026

VS Code uses my operating system’s default browser by default. But I want to override this setting as I am using Safari for General purpose and brave for other stuff.

I only realized today that I can override this. So here are the steps to do the same.

  • Press Cmd + , to open Settings.
  • Search for “External Browser”.
  • Under Workbench > External: Browser, type a browser name like firefox, brave or enter the absolute path to the application (e.g., /Applications/Brave Browser.app).

notes

Subdomains

20 August 2026

Today, I realized that in GoDaddy, up to 500 subdomains are allowed under a standard domain, and 1,500 under a premium domain.

So I hosted my Life Left app under the subdomain lifeleft.binovarghese.com.

Here’s how I did it:

  • Deployed the project on Netlify.
  • Created the domain under Product domains in Domain management in the Netlify dashboard.
  • Added this subdomain in GoDaddy under DNS.
  • Added the record type as CNAME and the data as the Netlify site’s default subdomain (e.g., your-site-name.netlify.app).

That’s it, your project will be live after some time.

essay

Fast apps

9 August 2026

Nowadays I have a feeling that most of the software or apps on laptops and mobiles are too complicated or over-engineered. The apps I am using nowadays have too many features other than their core purpose. I know these apps are made for a wide range of users, and the corporations behind them want their products to be feature-rich...

notes

Frictionless tool

23 July 2026

The most frictionless tool I have ever seen is a piece of paper and pen.

It’s simple and easy enough to not think about anything else related to it. I don’t need to think about how I can use that, as my brain knows how to use it like I know how to eat. There are no disruptions like new interfaces where the button position has been changed, or performance glitches due to useless features. It’s just a tool that easily becomes part of your body, and you can start working immediately. Eventually it will disappear from your mind when you are using it. That’s how it becomes a perfect tool.

essay

Kagi Small Web

15 March 2026

What is Small Web? While there’s no single, perfect definition, we like to define the Small Web as personal blogs, independent videos, webcomics, and other authentic spaces created for non-commercial purposes, usually for self-expression or community building. Basically, sites in the Small Web exist to...

essay

How to add random quotes to your (Hugo) website footer

19 February 2026

To be honest, I love beautiful and brilliant quotes. They can come from anywhere, like smart people, movies, or books. I don’t care where they come from. If they inspire me, I love them. The most beautiful part is...

essay

Life Left App

20 January 2026

Life Left is a minimalist life reflection web app that helps users visualize how much of their life may still remain, based on their age, retirement plan, and expected lifespan.

essay

Default Apps 2025

30 December 2025

Earlier this year, I shared my default apps of 2023 here. This is the 2025 edition. The big change is that I’ve moved more into the Apple ecosystem, while most of the rest has stayed the same.

notes

Start the Hugo server with your local IP

20 October 2025

I want to share my writings to my colleague thorugh my IP before publishing it. So here how I done it:

  • Get your IP using the command ipconfig from the terminal.
  • Go to your Hugo project’s root directory in your terminal.
  • Run the following command, replacing <YOUR_NETWORK_IP> with the IP address.
  • hugo server --bind 0.0.0.0 --baseUrl http://<YOUR_NETWORK_IP>:1313
  • The server will start, and the output should show the website is available at http://<YOUR_NETWORK_IP>:1313.