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# Ethan Thompson

Digital Marketer

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://ethanthompson.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [ChatGPT Lowering the Barrier for Getting Stuff Done](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/chatgpt-making-mvps) - A first-hand account of how AI models like ChatGPT can streamline the web development process, making it more accessible for a broader range of creators.
- [From Magic to Marketing: My Career Journey](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/my-career) - From highscool magician to marketing manager. How did I get here?
- [My Favorite Games for the Steam Deck](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/steam-deck-games) - Technically I don’t own a Steam Deck. I put Bazzite on my Asus ROG Ally, but it's close enough (and “best games for Steam Deck” is a better target keyword.) Dwarves: Glory, Death and Loot Thronefall Balatro Vampire Survivors Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy Each game is fun to play and plays well on the
- [Extra Thick & Extra Funky - Blue Cheese Dip Recipe](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/extra-thick-extra-funky-blue-cheese-dip-recipe) - Ingredients Blue Cheese - 5-6 Oz. Sour Cream - 2/3 cup Mayonaise - 1/3 cup Butter Milk - 1/3 cup Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp Pinch of salt Pinch of fresh ground black pepper Pinch of oregano Preperation Smash blue cheese into 1/4" crumbles Mix all ingredients in a bowl Put in a jar and
- [What I'm Doing Now](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/now) - Rather than trying to keep up with me on a social network, you can review this post to get a sense of what I've been up to recently.
- [Meet Keymapp Deck, A Stream Deck Plugin for ZSA Keyboards](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/zsa-stream-deck-plugin) - I've built a bunch of custom layers for different games and apps on my Moonlander keyboard, but switching between them manually was a bit convoluted. Smart layers are great for most things, but not everything. So I built Keymapp Deck and I've released it for free on GitHub. (P.S. It might be buggy, but it
- [Favorite (Non-Business) Paid Apps and Services of 2025](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/favorite-apps-2025) - My annual dive into my top 5 favorite paid apps. We have some returning champions and some new entrants. HEY HEY remains my personal email provider. The simple, fun interface is a breath of fresh air, and the Screener continues to be the killer feature. YouTube Premium At this point, I would cancel almost every
- [Has AI Killed the SERP?](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/ai-killed-serp) - As someone who searches for information constantly, for both personal and professional reasons, my habits have changed dramatically over the past 18 months. Changing Habits Before October of 2025, nearly every query or question I had passed through Google Search in some form. While I've been using AI chat platforms for the past few years,
- [Wispr Flow Review - Voice Transcription That Actually Works](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/flow-voice-transcription) - After a glowing review of Wispr Flow on Diggnation, I’ve been using it for basically all of my typing...and it’s been fantastic. It works in almost every input field and strips out the brainfarts. It is fast, and easy to use. I even mapped one of my macro keys on my Moonlander to act as
- [Index & Match: The Left Join of Google Sheets](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/google-sheets-index-match-equivalent-of-left-join) - Using the index and match functions to emulate a SQL left join.
- [Goodbyes Are The Beginning to Something New](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/goodbyes-beginnings) - This year has been full of goodbyes. My aunt and grandmother died this year. Their goodbyes, while final in this life, are thankfully just a see-you-later in the next. I’m grateful I had the chance to say goodbye to them. Both held a deep faith in Yahweh and lived that faith through their final moments.
- [Shared Experiences](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/shared-experiences) - My brother turned 16 this year. He's the youngest of my siblings and we're 14 years apart. As he's gotten older, we've been able to do more things together and have discovered quite a few shared interests. I enjoy spending time with my family, we just don't have a lot of overlapping interests. It's also
- [Omarchy Review - The BEST Linux Distro I've Ever Used](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/omarchy-review) - Before I jump into my brief Omarchy review, I have something I need to confess... I'm a DHH fanboy. Now that we have that out of the way. I'm also running Omarchy on a Framework 13. DHH is using a Framework laptop (and Desktop, I think) so I'm sure there are at least a few
- [Is AI Art Actually Art?](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/thoughts-on-ai-art) - The latest conversation around AI-generated art, sparked by the Ghibli "inspired" pieces, has given me a renewed perspective on AI and art in general. First of all, what is art? What is this thing that so many people are scared of losing, or in some cases, outright angry about, as we head into an AI-generated
- [The Age of the Individual Contributor](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/individual-contributor-moment) - Earlier this year I got back into collecting and playing Magic: The Gathering (MTG). It’s a fantastic game, and one I would highly recommend you check out. As my collection grew, I realized a few simple tools would make collecting and organizing easier and more fun. That’s when I decided to start a website that
- [Favorite (Non-Business) Paid Apps and Services of 2024](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/favorite-non-business-paid-apps-and-services-of-2024) - Paying for software that helps you run a business is a given for many of us. But paying for software that purley improves your quality of life? Probably a bit less common. So what apps and services made my life "better" in 2024? HEY Gmail's free email offerings are really great. But the screendoor feature
- [Human Integrity and AI](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/integrity-ai) - As AI tools advance and access to them expands, integrity feels like an important topic. For example, how will we determine: If a person is real If the things a person writes, says, and shares are created by them or by AI? Does it matter if something is AI-generated? Here are a few of my
- [Turn on a Computer with Alexa (Easy Alternative to Wake-on-Lan)](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/turn-on-computer-with-alexa) - Learn how to use Alexa on your Amazon Echo or the Google assistant to turn on your computer, just like a wake-on-lan setup but much simpler.
- [Creating Healthier Media Habits](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/creating-healthier-media-habits) - Good media fosters connection. Bad media isolates us.Healthy media enriches both you and others. Unhealthy media diminishes everyone involved. Over the past month, several discussions have solidified my thoughts on these distinctions. It reminds me of Jack Wyrtzen’s approach to his Quiet Time. For him, daily Bible reading wasn’t complete until he had shared it
- [One Keyboard Shortcut That Should Be Universal](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/one-keyboard-shortcut-that-should-be-universal) - I'm a big fan of keyboard shortcuts. Anyone who’s worked with me long enough has probably had me interrupt them at least once to share a keyboard shortcut or two. While many shortcuts are tailored for power users, there’s one in particular that I wish was universal: "/" for focusing on the primary search box.
- [MagSafe Made Me a Believer in Wireless Charging](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/magsafe-made-me-a-believer-in-wireless-charging) - I've owned various phones with Qi wireless charging over the past decade, but wireless charging sucked. It was a novelty without real practicality. But MagSafe has converted me into a believer. What originally turned me off wireless charging was the inconsistency. I bought the Google Nexus 4 on release day, which came with Qi charging.
- [Thoughts on the Mac Mini Power Button Location](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/thoughts-on-the-mac-mini-power-button-location) - Some of Apple’s design choices over the past decade have really ticked people off, myself included. One major frustration has been the placement of the charging port for the Magic Mouse, right on the bottom of the mouse. The latest design choice, currently getting memed to death, is the decision to place the Mac Mini's
- [When the Mundane Becomes Interesting](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/when-the-mundane-becomes-interesting) - Driving to work in a car is something hundreds of millions of Americans do daily. It’s so routine, it often feels mundane. When I lived without a car for about four years, I realized even the most ordinary things can become interesting when you add a touch of uncertainty and risk. It might sound morbid,
- [A Week Without My Smart Home](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/week-without-smart-home) - My home automation system was down for a week, and I actually missed it. That’s when I realized just how much I rely on these small conveniences every day. Some of my favorite automations include having the bathroom lights turn on whenever I walk in and off when I leave, my lights turning on as
- [Updating a Lookup Field on Zoho Deals](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/updating-a-lookup-field-on-zoho-deals) - Zoho lookup fields can be a bit tricky. When you add data to a lookup field after the primary module for that field is already linked to a deal, the lookup field doesn't always update as expected. The exact reason for this behavior isn't entirely clear. In our case, we updated a field in the
- [Cloudflare Pages - Free Hosting for Side Projects](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/jamstack-free-hosting) - I've been using Cloudflare Pages to host side projects for several years. It's been reliable, easy to use, and it's free. You can't host a WordPress blog on it, but you can host just about any JAM stack site or static site. That is perfect for most of my unprofitable side projects.
- [Supporting WordPress](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/supporting-wordpress) - WordPress and Matt Mullenweg have been in the news recently due to their legal battle with WP Engine. While I believe Matt and WordPress have a strong case, listening to Matt’s interviews reminded me of the costs WordPress.org incurs just to keep the WordPress ecosystem running. Maintaining WordPress is expensive. Millions of site owners, including
- [Blogging Renescience](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/blogging-renescience) - I feel like blog's are having a bit of a renescience moment. Maybe it's just something I've rediscovered over the past year, but it doesn't feel like it's just a personal observation.
- [Moonlander vs ErgoDox EZ Keyboard (Long-term Review)](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/moonlander-vs-ergodox-ez) - Moonlander vs ErgoDox EZ: Comparing the heavyweights of split ortholinear keyboards to see which one comes out on top. This is my real-world review.
- [Dialogue on Suffering](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/lennox-suffering) - I only discovered John Lennox recently, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening to many of his talks featured on YouTube. I think this conversation is my favorite, at least so far. The care and empathy shared by Lennox is admirable, and he doesn’t back away from sharing his honest thoughts.
- [The Oura Ring Replaced my Apple Watch](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/oura-ring-review) - This Oura Ring review gives you my candid thoughts on the Oura Ring and why I replaced my Apple Watch with this award-winning smart ring.
- [It's a Big, Big World](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/big-world) - I love going to big cities. They offer new experiences, things to see, food to eat...but one of the things I enjoy most is being reminded of how relatively insignificant I am as an individual. I'm just a small fish in a big pond. 100 years from now, no one will remember me. My belongings
- [Favorite Cities](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/favorite-cities) - I’ve been blessed to travel the world for work and pleasure. Spending time in new cities is one of my favorite activities. Here are my current ten favorite cities. Paris New York Asheville St. Petersburg Rotterdam Austin Rochester Seattle Burlington Denver
- [Buying a Knife](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/knife) - I've dabbled in the EDC world for a while, but until recently I didn't have a knife in my kit. Knives tend to be one of the first things that someone tip-toeing their way into the community buys. But as a knife newbie, I didn't know where to start. I had a few criteria for
- [How to Create a Looping Lofi Animation Scene](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/looping-lofi-animation-scene) - Inspired by Lofi YouTube channels, I've created a step-by-step guide on creating Lofi-style anime animations using AI, Photoshop, and After Effects.
- [Freedom in Humility](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/humility) - I've failed in a few areas recently. Some big things, some small things. Some of these failures required me to say "I need help." That's a statement that would have been difficult for me to say 9-months ago. My inability to ask for help was laced with pride. While reflecting on that makes me cringe,
- [Hanging with Artists](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/hanging-with-artists) - At a dinner a few months ago, we discussed things each of us collects. A friend of mine remarked, "Ethan collects art." That statement made me chuckle. Despite the playing cards, doodads, and random junk I hoard, I hadn't actually considered the art I own as a "collection." My apartment is filled with art. For
- [The Joy of Music](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/joy-music) - My childhood home was filled with music. Sunday morning I was woken up by my Dad singing, we'd sing at church, and I played violin for a time and dabbled with the bass guitar. Music was something I took for granted. But over the years I stopped going to church, I didn't play any instruments,
- [Without a Little Risk, There Is No Adventure](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/risk-adventure) - Since acquiring an Oura Smart Ring, I've been tracking my rest patterns. In early February, I noticed that watching movies and TV helped me rest well, despite avoiding them for the past few years. Action and adventure movies have particularly caught my attention. These films remind me that adventure requires risk. It doesn't mean stealing
- [Finding a Mentor](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/mentors) - A few months ago, I was asked, "How do you find a mentor?" Honestly, I’ve never labeled a relationship that way. But looking back, I can recognize that I’ve always had someone who plays the mentor role in my life. Reflecting on these experiences, I've identified three things that have helped me build and utilize
- [Become a Creator](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/become-a-creator) - The creative spirit is where dissatisfaction intersects with ownership. If you’re never dissatisfied, you’ll never invent. If you’re always dissatisfied and never invent, you’ll be bitter. I don’t think that means you need to complain about everything that bothers you, although, in all honesty, my younger years were peppered with this. But if you never
- [Learning to Learn](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/learning-skills) - I was homeschooled from age 10 to 15. This form of schooling consisted of a general lesson plan outlined by my mother and the required reading to take the tests. But my “traditional” school day was only 1-2 hours. What did I do with the rest of my day? Learn whatever I wanted to learn.
- [How I Used Foam and a Concrete Paver for 3D Printing in Silence](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/foam-and-concrete-paver-for-silencing-3d-printer) - Using a concrete paver and foam to silence my 3D printer.
- [Data Matters, Shipping Matters Even More](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/always-be-shipping) - Data is an integral part of our marketing process. It's also a core part of our general decision-making process. But it isn't the entire process. Anyone who has spent time with me knows I love a good spreadsheet or chart. But if you make decisions based only on data, you'll often miss out on some
- [Effectiveness > Quality/Quantity](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/effectiveness) - If you're struggling to choose between quality and quantity, let me offer a different perspective: neither metric is as helpful as you might think. Instead, I propose a more impactful metric: effectiveness. Quality is subjective, and quantity is relative. Effectiveness is measurable, especially in today's world of conversion tracking, CRMs, and business intelligence. There's never
- [Spreadsheet Functions Every Digital Marketer Should Know](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/spreadsheet-functions-marketing) - Get the low-down on what functions you need to know to take your spreadsheets to the next level.
- [What's In My Bag in 2023](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/backpack-items-2023) - Inspired by Matt Mullenweg's annual "What's in My Bag" post, here is my bag and its contents. Columbia Roan Mountain Jacket is packable and comfortable to wear. It's kept me dry in light to medium rain. Free beanie someone gave me. Unsure of the brand. Cheap gloves from Target. I regularly lose my gloves, so
- [Cycling Accessories: Field-Tested for Everyday Adventure Cycling](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/cycling-accessories) - This is my short list of cycling equipment recommendations for commuting and light adventuring.
- [Ergodox EZ Review — 1 Year with the ErgoDox](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/ergodox-review) - My review of the Ergodox EZ after one year of continuous use.
- [How to Use TP-Link and Netgear Powerline Network Adapters Together](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/connect-tp-link-and-netgear-powerline-network-adapters) - Learn how to easily use TP-Link and Netgear Powerline Ethernet Adapters together.
- [How Online Grocery Delivery Saves Me $380 a Year](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/grocery-delivery) - Is grocery delivery worth it? For me, yes. Keep reading to find out why.
- [Unlikely ≠ Impossible](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/unlikely-impossible) - The safety industry runs on statistics. Whether that is a regulation created because of a number of accidents or injuries or the calculated potential risk specific work creates. Because I live in this world, it’s easy for me to get lost in statistics. Sometimes, statistics lead me to a false sense of security, and I
- [Redefining Work: Embracing Effort in the Job You Love](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/redefining-work) - “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Source: Unknown-ish Some might argue that a job one loves can feel less like work. But I believe this stems from a poor definition of what “work” is. I would re-word this as: “Choose a job you love,
- [Living Car-Free Saved Me $6,976 in 2022](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/living-car-free) - Another year has ended, and it's time to reflect on living car-free for another year. TL;DR: In 2022, I saved $6,976.39 by not owning a car. I traveled 3,671 miles and took 432 trips. My average cost per mile was $0.45. For those who don't know, I sold my car in 2019 just before moving
- [Learning Graphic Design: Resources & Courses](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/learning-graphic-design) - A list of resources to help someone who is looking to get started in graphic design but doesn't know where to start.
- [Kits: Electronics Edition](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/electronics-edc-kit) - Stop wasting time finding *that* cable and build your electronics EDC kit.
- [Learning SEO: Resources & Courses](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/learning-seo) - A list of resources and courses on SEO to help get you started.
- [How I Saved a Thousand Dollars a Year on My Subscriptions](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/saving-money-subscriptions) - How I saved hundreds of dollars a month on subscriptions and decided what I could cut out of my budget and maintain my happiness quotient.
- [My Favorite Mac Apps](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/mac-apps) - A collection of my favorite MacOS apps.
- [Bike Commuting Saved Me $4k in 2021](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/living-without-a-car) - I chose to not own a car for a year and saved over $4k in the process. Getting around by bike, on foot, and using rideshare services.
- [My Empire State Trail Bike Tour](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/bike-touring-empire-state-trail) - The Empire State Trail is a great piece of cycling infrastructure in NY. My Empire State Trail bike tour recap covers my trip and what I learned along the way.
- [Streaming Desk for Twitch and Gaming](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/diy-streaming-desk) - I needed a desk to hold all my streaming peripherals. So I designed and made this DIY streaming desk. It's great for streaming and gaming. Learn more!
- [Bike Camping Guide (How to Plan Your First Trip!)](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/bike-camping-guide) - Unleash your inner adventurer with bike camping! This guide offers insights, planning tips, and gear recommendations for your first bike camping trip.
- [Apollo Ghost Brake Pads for CHEAP](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/apollo-ghost-brakepads) - I purchased an Apollo Ghost scooter last year to replace my Ride1Up Core-5 eBike. After 680 miles of epic riding I needed to replace my brakepads. I logged onto Apollo's website to order a new set of brakepads, but after discovering their shipping was $20, I decided to look for a cheaper alternative. Do my
- [My Working from Home Video and Audio Setup](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/working-from-home-improved-video-call-setup) - A quick breakdown of the audio and video gear I use for video calls while working from home.
- [VESA Pipe Monitor Mount Solution](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/vesa-pipe-monitor-mount) - My solution for mounting my ultrawide monitor to my pipe frame desk.
- [My Personal Website Migration Process](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/website-migration-process) - A breakdown of the process I took to migrate my website to a new CMS, design, and hosting plan.
- [Cheap DIY NAS Under $200: Complete Build Breakdown](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/diy-nas-for-under-200-dollars) - The complete guide to my DIY NAS build. Lots of storage on the cheap.
- [Cheap Elgato Multi-Mount Alternative](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/cheap-alternative-elgato-multi-mount) - $25 alternative to the very cool, but a bit price, Elgato Multi-Mount. A DIY mini light stand that clamps to your desk.
- [XE.com Review - Is it Legit and Does it Work?](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/xe-com-review) - My experience using XE.com to exchange currency and transfer funds abroad.
- [DIY LED Lighting for Your Desk](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/diy-led-lighting-for-your-desk) - Learn how I added voice controlled RGB LED lighting to my desk for under $50.
- [Autonomous Standing Desk Review](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/affordable-motorized-standing-desk) - Finding an affordable motorized standing desk for my home office.
- [How to Install Plex Beta on unRAID: Enable DVR and Live TV](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/how-to-install-plex-dvr-beta-on-unraid) - Learn how to install the latest Plex Beta on your unRAID server and get access to the latest features like DVR and Live TV!
- [Fix Connection Reset by Peer Error When Using Weaved on Your Raspberry Pi](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/fix-ssh-exchange-identification-read-connection-reset-by-peer-error) - Fix ssh_exchange_identification: read: Connection Reset by Peer Error When Using Weaved on Your Raspberry Pi.
- [How to Play Audible on Chromecast](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/how-to-play-audible-on-chromecast) - A quick and easy way to play Audible books on your Chromecast or Cast enabled device.
- [Remove Parallels' VMs & Applications Without Parallels Installed](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/remove-parallels-vms-applications-without-parallels-installed) - Get rid of all traces of Parallels', even if you have already deleted the application.
- [How to Manage Your Business' Instagram on Your Computer](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/how-to-manage-your-business-instagram-on-your-computer) - Businesses have beenon Instagramsince it's inception. Utilizing it's broad reach and active community to share their brand's story, interact with customers, and more. But managing your business' Instagram account can be quite cumbersome, due to it's mobile first nature. Now there is an easy way to manage your Instagram account from your computerwith no limitations.
- [Easily Prefill Google Forms](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/prefill-google-forms-by-url) - Easily autofill Google Forms by passing a variable through a URL.
- [Affordable Podcast Gear - Quality Podcasting on a Budget](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/affordable-podcast-gear) - Affordable gear that can help you make a great sounding podcast without breaking the bank.
- [Boost Logitech G930 Volume](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/boost-logitech-g930-volume) - Learn how to boost the audio of the Logitech G390 wireless headset.

## Pages

- [Hi! I'm Ethan.](https://ethanthompson.org/) - Digital marketing generalist & project manager helping businesses grow by reaching new customers online.
- [Projects](https://ethanthompson.org/projects) - A collection of personal projects. churchorweed.com A guessing game. See if you can guess if the building is a dispensary or a church. Deskfinity A collection of Gridfinity modules designed for your workspace. Gridfinity Frame Calculator Figure out how many Gridfinity frames you need to fill a space. Keymapp Deck A Stream Deck plugin that
- [Gridfinity Baseplate Calculator](https://ethanthompson.org/gridfinity-frame-calculator) - A simple tool to calculate how many Gridfinity baseplates you need to fill a drawer or space.
- [Contact](https://ethanthompson.org/contact)
- [Resume](https://ethanthompson.org/resume)
- [Blog](https://ethanthompson.org/blog)

## Categories

- [Software](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/category/software)
- [Life](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/category/life)
- [Work](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/category/work)
- [Gear](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/category/gear)
- [Adventure](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/category/adventure)
- [Projects](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/category/projects)
- [Marketing](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/category/marketing)
- [Biking](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/category/biking)
- [DIY](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/category/diy)

## Tags

- [video games](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/tag/video-games)
- [computers](https://ethanthompson.org/blog/tag/computers)