Dean Bryant

I got Proton VPN for privacy, which it does well. However, it's a bit hit-or-miss for unblocking streaming services. Sometimes Netflix works, sometimes it doesn't. Their 'NetShield' ad blocker is also okay but not as effective as a dedicated browser extension. It's a security-first VPN, not a streaming-first one.

For simple blogs or portfolios, it's amazing. But when we built a complex e-commerce site with many nested relations and localization, Strapi started to struggle. The API response times slowed down, and the admin panel got laggy with thousands of entries. We had to spend a lot of time optimizing the database queries manually.

Miro is essential for our remote design sprints. The template library is vast, and the real-time collaboration feels instant. I love the 'voting' and 'timer' features for facilitating workshops. It's intuitive enough that stakeholders can jump in without training, but powerful enough for complex system mapping. It's one of the few tools everyone in the company loves.

The app is generally smooth, but I find its handling of merge conflicts to be a bit clunky. It often forces me to open the files in VS Code anyway. Also, switching between repositories isn't as fast as in other clients. It's free, so I can't complain too much, but there's room for improvement.

I used to use Photoshop for everything, but the monthly cost is just too high for a hobbyist now. I switched to Affinity Photo which is a one-time purchase. Photoshop is definitely 'better' with its AI tools, but not $20/month better for someone who just edits vacation photos. If you aren't a pro making money with it, the subscription stings.

There is no question that impact.com is the most powerful platform in this space. However, the interface is not intuitive. Setting up custom commission structures or digging into deep attribution reports requires training. It's a tool for dedicated partnership managers, not for someone dabbling in affiliates.

I went through three therapists in a month. One ghosted me, one was clearly distracted during our video call, and the third just sent generic worksheets. The matching algorithm feels random. Also, they don't take insurance, which makes it incredibly expensive compared to finding a local provider in-network. Not recommended for serious mental health needs.

For long-term documentation, Confluence is hard to beat. Tight integration with Jira makes specs, RFCs, and runbooks easy to link. The new AI-powered search and summaries help a lot when you’re digging through old pages. It’s not flashy, but for a serious knowledge base tied to tickets, it’s excellent.