Field notes from Puerto Galera
A weblog of essays, links, and book marginalia from David Krug — founder of 701am, written from the north coast of the Philippines.
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The latest from the daybook
Essays are full-length pieces published here. Linkblog entries send you elsewhere — to the source. Choose your own adventure.
Linkblog · May 18, 2026
Thoughts on Ai Automation Retainers
AI automation retainers are evolving into outsourced AI operations recurring monthly systems focused on workflow optimization, integrations, monitoring, and operational leverage, not one-off builds.
Linkblog · May 18, 2026
The Search Engine I Actually Use Daily
Kagi is what happens when search stops pretending to be an advertising business and starts acting like a utility again. No banners, no tracking maze, no SEO noise competing for attention. Instead, it’s a paid search engine where results feel intentionally stripped back—clean rankings, optional AI summaries, and a sense that the page you’re on isn’t trying to sell you anything beyond clarity.
Notes · May 17, 2026
I haven't been an entrepreneur in a long time
Low-risk years end in a reset from setbacks into founder mindset. Building 701am, AI media agency for attention, systems, hiring. Now shifting to ideas and sales, building a company to outgrow its creator. One life, no excuses, daily execution now!!
Notes · May 17, 2026
A Quiet Migration Away From the Default Internet Stack
A shift from Google/centralized platforms to a privacy-first stack, replacing core tools (search, email, docs, storage, analytics, publishing) with Kagi, Proton, Obsidian, Astro, and others for ownership and control.
Notes · May 17, 2026
A Cup from Mount Apo
Today's coffee comes from Mount Apo. My daily coffee routine varies. Depends on how much time I have or what I'm working on. This afternoon it called for another cup of coffee and I thought I'd make it a bit special.
Linkblog · May 17, 2026
Astro Rocket — a theme that already feels like a finished product
Astro Rocket isn’t really a “starter theme” in the traditional sense. It behaves more like a fully designed website that just happens to be open source. Built on Astro 6 and Tailwind, it ships with dozens of components, multiple visual themes, and a level of completeness that removes most of the usual “now I need to design everything” step from the process.