# hicks (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 3 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover hicks. Page: Feed: --- ## [Jacket App](https://hicks.design/journal/jacket-app) _2026-08-08 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ I’ve written at length about my search for the perfect digital music app . I’ve spent too much time, trialling every app and streaming service I find, and wasting hours trying to coax Qobuz into being ‘the one’ with CSS (only to find they use Tailwind, and lack enough semantic hooks). It’s more of a sad indictment of my obsessive brain, than the quality of app choices out there though. I can't… ## [It's only as real as the scars on my heart](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/its-only-as-real-as-the-scars-on) _2026-07-13 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ An ode to Love ## [Archbishop Hicks Recalls Receiving His Pallium from Pope Leo XIV: ‘Beautiful Symbol’](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/archbishop-hicks-looks-back-on-receiving-his-pallium-from-pope-leo-xiv-beautiful-symbol/) _2026-07-09 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ The archbishop shared his experience of receiving the pallium from fellow Chicago native Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City. The post Archbishop Hicks Recalls Receiving His Pallium from Pope Leo XIV: ‘Beautiful Symbol’ appeared first on The Good Newsroom . ## [All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks: July 7, 2026](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/all-good-things-with-archbishop-hicks-july-7-2026/) _2026-07-07 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ On this week’s episode of All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks recorded while on pilgrimage to receive the Pallium, Archbishop Ronald Hicks, Father Dave Dwyer, and Lino Rulli spoke in Italy about the Pallium, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and meeting Pope Leo XIV. The post All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks: July 7, 2026 appeared first on The Good Newsroom . ## [Archbishop Hicks Recounts ‘Extremely Powerful’ Visit to Assisi During Pallium Pilgrimage](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/archbishop-hicks-recounts-extremely-powerful-visit-to-assisi-during-pallium-pilgrimage/) _2026-07-02 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ While in Assisi for the pallium pilgrimage, Archbishop Hicks and Lino Rulli discuss Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi and the first millennial saint, St. Carlo Acutis. The post Archbishop Hicks Recounts ‘Extremely Powerful’ Visit to Assisi During Pallium Pilgrimage appeared first on The Good Newsroom . ## [All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks: June 30, 2026](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/all-good-things-with-archbishop-hicks-june-30-2026/) _2026-06-30 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ Archbishop Ronald Hicks and Lino Rulli talk about the Catholic significance of Assisi, the example of St. Carlo Acutis, answering the call to follow Jesus, the Archbishop’s crest and motto, and how to find “peace and all good things” in your life. The post All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks: June 30, 2026 appeared first on The Good Newsroom . ## [Qobuz Theme 1.4](https://hicks.design/journal/qobuz-theme-1-4) _2026-06-25 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Here's another little update to the Qobuz Beta theme . Their use of Tailwind continues to be an obstacle, as there just aren't enough semantic classes to style things how I would like. In the vein, this likely the last update to the theme, but here are the changes in the version: Changes in 1.4 The main focus is on improving the appearance of modal dialogs, such as Album Info and Add to Playlist:… ## [I would make a really great husband](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/i-would-make-a-really-great-husband) _2026-06-24 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ A millennial woman's journey home ## [Archbishop Hicks Reacts to the USCCB Consecration Mass, the Knicks Win, and His Friendly Wager](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/archbishop-hicks-reacts-to-the-usccb-consecration-mass-the-knicks-win-and-his-friendly-wager/) _2026-06-18 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ Archbishop Hicks and Father Dave Dwyer talk about the USCCB conference in Orlando, the Knicks’ win, and the status of the archbishop’s bet with the Archdiocese of San Antonio’s Archbishop García-Siller. The post Archbishop Hicks Reacts to the USCCB Consecration Mass, the Knicks Win, and His Friendly Wager appeared first on The Good Newsroom . ## [All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks: June 16, 2026](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/all-good-things-with-archbishop-hicks-june-16-2026/) _2026-06-16 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ On this week’s episode of All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks, Archbishop Ronald Hicks and Father Dave Dwyer talk about the June 2026 Plenary Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Florida, the Consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrating the Knicks’ victory and good sportsmanship, the resolution of the bet with Archbishop Gustavo… ## [Non-custodial Crypto Payments & Escrow (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/Civvk56LFeUI) _2026-06-16 · **Sponsored**_ Accept multi-chain crypto with trustless escrow, instant confirmations, and no KYC ## [Archbishop Hicks Discusses New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act, Recalls Special Needs Confirmation](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/archbishop-hicks-discusses-new-yorks-medical-aid-in-dying-act-recalls-special-needs-confirmation/) _2026-06-04 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ On the June 2 episode of “All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks,” Archbishop Hicks and co-host Monsignor Jim Vlaun discussed New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act. The post Archbishop Hicks Discusses New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act, Recalls Special Needs Confirmation appeared first on The Good Newsroom . ## [All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks: June 2, 2026](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/all-good-things-with-archbishop-hicks-june-2-2026/) _2026-06-02 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ Archbishop Ronald Hicks and Monsignor Jim Vlaun discuss Archbishop Hicks’ recent article in First Things on physician-assisted suicide, the recent confirmation of youth with disabilities, ordination anniversaries, the upcoming meeting of the USCCB, and Change the World. The post All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks: June 2, 2026 appeared first on The Good Newsroom . ## [Four years before I could be naked](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/four-years-before-i-could-be-naked) _2026-05-29 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ You know I like sharing moments where it feels like God meddles in things just enough to create a story worth telling. ## [Archbishop Hicks Speaks with New Archdiocese Priests Frs. Joe Haas and John Ippolito: ‘We’re Excited for You’](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/archbishop-hicks-speaks-with-new-archdiocese-priests-frs-joe-haas-and-john-ippolito-were-excited-for-you/) _2026-05-28 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ On the May 26 episode of “All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks,” Archbishop Hicks asks the archdiocese’s newly ordained priests about their respective journeys toward the priesthood. The post Archbishop Hicks Speaks with New Archdiocese Priests Frs. Joe Haas and John Ippolito: ‘We’re Excited for You’ appeared first on The Good Newsroom . ## [All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks: May 26, 2026](https://thegoodnewsroom.org/all-good-things-with-archbishop-hicks-may-26-2026/) _2026-05-26 · Archbishop Ronald Hicks · Podcasts Archives - The Good Newsroom_ On this week’s episode of All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks, Archbishop Ronald Hicks and Father Dave Dwyer talk about the meaning of Memorial Day, Pope Leo’s first papal encyclical on human dignity and AI, the duty of the Church to speak up about important issues, Pentecost, Archbishop Hicks’ first ordination in the Archdiocese of New York, and answer listener questions. The post All Good… ## [When Logos and Eros meet - My first conversation with Walt Bismarck](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/when-logos-and-eros-meet-my-first) _2026-05-25 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ Meeting in the space between ## [Qobuz Theme v1.3 for Qobuz Beta](https://hicks.design/journal/qobuz-theme-v1-3-for-qobuz-beta) _2026-05-09 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ This is small bug-fix version of the custom Qobuz theme for the Beta release. There's not many changes but they're important ones, fixing bugs that will affect your usage of the app: Fix for the 'Catalogue/Library' toggle being hidden behind the top toolbar on artist pages: Fix for the Library toolbar (Toggle sidebar, Library Settings and Add button) being hidden behind the now playing bar:… ## [Finally ready to write about porn...](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/finally-ready-to-write-about-porn) _2026-04-29 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ the beginning ## [Sister Ray Davies at The Library, Oxford](https://hicks.design/journal/sister-ray-davies-at-the-library-oxford) _2026-04-28 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Sister Ray Davies , whose debut album Holy Island featured on my top 20 of 2025 , played Oxford's diminutive The Library pub in Cowley Road last night. They're a dreamy shoegaze duo from Alabama's Muscle Shoals, comprising of Adam Morrow and Jamie Sego, although Jamie was sadly not able to come on the tour. For good reason though - he and his wife's first child came "much sooner than anticipated"… ## [Qobuz Theme v1.2 for Qobuz Beta](https://hicks.design/journal/qobuz-theme-v1-2-for-qobuz-beta) _2026-04-21 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ There's a Qobuz Beta for desktop available to download from the Qobuz Club forum (Beta Club channel) and I was curious to see what's changed, and how much my theme had to be updated. There’s a fair few changes compared the current release. I can now order albums by release date, so that's another tick on my Music App Criteria list! The new combined 'Library' view, with an overload of buttons and… ## [Home Internet From Space (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/hXw5LUCyVNyT) _2026-04-21 · **Sponsored**_ Residential satellite internet that brings connectivity to homes beyond conventional networks ## [Albums app](https://hicks.design/journal/albums-app) _2026-04-15 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ In my big ass Music App post , I’d mentioned the iOS/iPadOS app Albums , but since the debut of the MacOS catalyst app, I'm due a revisit to see how it fits with my criteria. Art view, with UI elements tinted to match the cover artwork Albums is a companion app to an Apple Music Subscription where, like Longplay , long players are the focus. You can skip previous/next albums as well as tracks, and… ## [Apple Music in Tahoe](https://hicks.design/journal/apple-music-in-tahoe) _2026-04-05 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Since I wrote that big-ass music app post last year, Apple Music's desktop app has seen some nice updates, not least due to the release of their new design language, ‘Liquid Glass’, in MacOS 26 Tahoe. Design changes I really like the new Tahoe design. There, I’ve said it. While I hate Liquid Glass’ fussy twinkly edges and lack of legibility, they both feel less prominent in Apple Music somehow. I… ## [Hello...](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/god) _2026-04-03 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ The noise in my head, the buzz… it’s gone ## [Qobuz Theme 1.1](https://hicks.design/journal/qobuz-theme-1-1) _2026-04-02 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ To summarise my experience with the alternative music streaming service Qobuz : great ethical company, the best sound quality, but I couldn't quite get on with how it looks. As Qobuz desktop is an electron app, with a webplayer at play.qobuz.com , I can customise the interface with CSS. This is not an unsolicited proposal to Qobuz, telling them how they should design their app and logo, it's just… ## [The Day the Music Died](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/the-day-the-music-died) _2026-04-01 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ When the spell breaks... ## [Tyler Ramsey at The Jericho Tavern](https://hicks.design/journal/tyler-ramsey-at-the-jericho-tavern) _2026-04-01 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Tyler Ramsey (ex Band of Horses) played the Jericho Tavern last night. This is the hallowed local venue where Radiohead played their first ever gig (back when they were called 'On a Friday'). He played a sublime fingerstyle acoustic guitar set of his solo work, a couple of Band of Horses tunes, as well as his recent collaboration with Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket, Celestun . The 2019 album… ## [Making apps out of Spite](https://hicks.design/journal/making-apps-out-of-spite) _2026-03-29 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ I love apps that ignore traditions and explore new, different ways of doing something. Such is the case with Spite , a new app for playing your own music library. As James Reeves the creator explains: I asked some friends if they’d like to help me build this. They wished me luck. “To hell with them,” I told C. “I’ll build it anyway and destroy Spotify and Apple.” C smiled and said spite was an… ## [Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan at The Bullingdon](https://hicks.design/journal/warrington-runcorn-new-town-development-plan-at-the-bullingdon) _2026-03-19 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ A great night out with neighbour Doug Tolley (Nine is the Level) to see Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan at the Bullingdon in Oxford! I've been moaning for ages that bands rarely come to Oxford (it's all tribute bands!), so it was exciting to see an artist I love pop up in local gig listings. I've been a fan for a couple of years, but this was my first time seeing him (Gordon… ## [Qobuz Theme](https://hicks.design/journal/qobuz-theme) _2026-03-12 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ To summarise my experience with the alternative music streaming service Qobuz : great ethical company, the best sound quality, but I couldn't quite get on with how it looks. Normally with desktop apps there's nothing I can do anything about that, but Qobuz is an electron app, with a webplayer at play.qobuz.com . This means I can change the interface with what I know - CSS! So over the last couple… ## [Troika #60: One Footer in the Unfinished Troika](https://hicks.design/troika/troika-60-one-footer-in-the-unfinished-troika) _2026-03-06 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Something a bit special for episode #60! It's the first one to feature other humans , and it's a threesome. In the One Footer in the Grave group chat, Andy Clarke , Marcus Lillington and I had been discussing about recording an episode on ( my favourite subject ) music. As Paul Boag was too busy on a cruise, and hates music anyway, a plan formed to ask Richard Rutter (with whom Andy hosts… ## [Stop CI/CD & Supply-Chain Attacks (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/8vrUalwlwrOc) _2026-03-06 · **Sponsored**_ Per-PR: 17 CI/CD checks and package malware scans with inline Check Run findings. ## [Live rapping my work with men](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/live-rapping-my-work-with-men) _2026-03-05 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ A recording from Katie O'Connor's live video [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/190026976/785d7504d89c9a64c48fa15ed8d51951.mp3) ## [Mirror mirror, on the wall...](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall) _2026-03-05 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ Just a girl with some rhymes ## [Are you willing to actually live it?](https://katieloconnor.substack.com/p/are-you-willing-to-actually-live) _2026-02-26 · Katie O'Connor · Katie O'Connor_ An invitation... ## [Troika #59: Win some, lose most](https://hicks.design/troika/troika-59-win-some-lose-most) _2026-02-23 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ I couldn’t let episode #59 be anything else but a celebration of one of my favourite bands: Starflyer 59. I've been besotted with them for over thirty years, and as such, it’s going to be a quadruple dose of Troika this time. Americana era lineup of Starflyer 59, with Jason Martin centre. Formed in Riverside, California by Jason Martin, and while the lineup around him is ever changing, Jason is… ## [The Besnard Lakes at the Hare and Hounds](https://hicks.design/journal/the-besnard-lakes-at-the-hare-and-hounds) _2026-02-15 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ "Is this your idea of romance?" was how Leigh responded to the news that I'd bought tickets for us to see The Besnard Lakes play in Birmingham on Valentines Night. Kings Heath's The Hare and Hounds isn't my favourite venue. It feels cramped and claustrophobic, and there are always at least a couple of high volume obnoxious twats. While Jace (Lasek, lead singer/guitar) was talking to the audience,… ## [Mew, for the last time](https://hicks.design/journal/mew-for-the-last-time) _2026-02-05 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ When Danish band Mew arrived on the scene, having (very) young children prevented me going to many gigs, so tonight was both the first, and last time I got to see Mew. They're one of the bands whose music will always be intertwingled with certain life events; going freelance, flying to SXSW, and even my father dying. They went out on such a high though—there was so much love for them in Camden's… ## [Kula Shaker at Truck Oxford](https://hicks.design/journal/kula-shaker-at-truck-oxford) _2026-01-27 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ There was an excellent in-store performance from Kula Shaker at Truck Oxford tonight. They played songs from the new album Wormslayer : ‘Lucky Number‘, ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’, ‘Be Merciful to Me’ and the title track, along with old favourites ’Shower Your Love on Me’ and ‘Govinda’. The set was what they called “Busking Sessions”, all four band members but semi-acoustic. Aside from a break… ## [Troika #58: Hickensian Christmas III](https://hicks.design/troika/troika-58-hickensian-christmas-iii) _2025-12-23 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ It's been ten years since 'Hickensian Christmas II' on Troika, probably because I get more curmudgeonly about 'Christmas Music' every year. This even includes quirky 'indie' versions of Christmas favourites. If it's not Vince Guaraldi, I'm not interested! Bucking this trend, I was given Sonic Cathedral 20th Anniversary box set by my daughter last Christmas, which came with a disc of Christmas… ## [Hicks.design 2025 Annual Report](https://hicks.design/journal/hicks-design-2025-annual-report) _2025-12-18 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ 18,970 ↑ Scrobbles 6,701 ↓ Tracks 1,655 ↓ Albums 1,275 ↑ Artists 93 ↑ Albums Bought 14 ↓ Gigs 20 – Books read Album of the year This has felt like a particularly good year for music, and as such, it's been hard to keep the list down to 20. There was however, one album in particular that nudged ahead of all the others: Album of the year The Besnard Lakes are the Ghost Nation The Besnard Lakes… ## [Stars of the Lid Forever: Xmas updates!](https://hicks.design/journal/stars-of-the-lid-forever-xmas-updates) _2025-12-17 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Ever since Stars of the Lid Forever went live last month, I've been getting a nice batch of new show recordings. I've finally got through processing them all, and I’ve just published 8 new shows, bringing our total to 25 🙌 Saint-Jean-Baptiste au Béguinage, Brussels - Oct 2016 Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham - 04 Oct 2016 St John-at-Hackney, London - 10 December 2012 (audio now added!)… ## [Troika #57: Stars of the Lid Forever](https://hicks.design/troika/troika-57-stars-of-the-lid) _2025-11-21 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ The band Stars of the Lid should be familiar to anyone who's read the Hicks.design Journal or listened to Troika. The ambient duo have featured on this podcast more than any artist, from the very first episode , episode #31 and episode #45 , a tribute to Brian McBride who had just passed away. They created the #1 and #4 albums in my top 15 of all time . Safe to say I'm a big fan, and this episode… ## [Stars of the Lid Forever](https://hicks.design/journal/stars-of-the-lid-forever) _2025-11-14 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ The band Stars of the Lid shouldn't be unfamiliar to anyone reading this blog, or listening to the Troika Podcast. They've been featured on Troika more than any artist, from in the very first episode , #31 and #45 which was a tribute to Brian McBride who had just passed away. They created the #1 and #4 albums in my top 15 of all time . It all started with a blog post where I'd gathered a list of… ## [Ambient Witney Night 3: Bypass//Engage](https://hicks.design/journal/ambient-witney-night-3-bypass-engage) _2025-09-27 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Fat Lil s in Witney is hosting another night of live ambient and experimental music, sponsored by Chase Bliss, on 16th November 2025. This time it's a free event! Kicking off at 7:30pm will be Nine Is The Level, a name that should be familiar to anyone who reads this blog . Next will be Nick Rees , and headlining is The Balloonist , otherwise known as Ben Holton (of Epic45 , My Autumn Empire ,… ## [Going back home](https://hicks.design/journal/going-back-home) _2025-09-25 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ For the last twenty years (bar a four month absence during COVID lockdown) I’ve worked from a ‘proper’ office, renting with other freelancers. Despite living in the least “co-worky” area, I’ve always found like-minded folks to work and share rental costs with. It's made working life fun, created separation between work and home, and given me a daily journey (either walking or cycling), that allows… ## [Longplay](https://hicks.design/journal/longplay) _2025-07-29 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Know what song comes next before it plays? Can you name albums by their covers alone? Yes! In my search for the "perfect" music app , Adrian Schönig's Longplay is the closest match I've found yet. The MacOS app has been out of beta for a couple of weeks now, and I've been enjoying it, a lot! Longplay is a companion app to an Apple Music subscription, where the album cover art is the UI. No lists… ## [Stars of the Lid Live](https://hicks.design/journal/stars-of-the-lid-live) _2025-07-28 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ With the remaster of Stars of the Lid 's debut album Music for Nitrous Oxide being released, they're a band that's been on my mind a lot recently. It was quite an experience to see them live and their drone/ambient/new-classical music takes on another level when performed in a church against Luke Savisky s stunning projected visuals . I only got to see them play live twice, the last time was at… ## [V&A East Storehouse](https://hicks.design/journal/va-east-storehouse) _2025-07-21 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ I finally made it to the V&A East Storehouse this weekend, to see my icons in use. Anyone who was there on Saturday will have seen a rather emotional middle aged man taking more photos of wayfinding than exhibits. The lighting was quite dark, but with a bit of fiddling these do an OK job of documenting how the icons are being used. When the actual V&A East Museum opens next year there'll be even… ## [New Music Friday: Greet Death](https://hicks.design/journal/new-music-friday-greet-death) _2025-06-27 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Today brings a long-awaited new album by Greet Death and BC Camplight. I also want to highlight a couple of recent-ish releases I've had on heavy rotation: Die in Love by Greet Death New Hell was my favourite album of 2019, and with only EPs in between to keep my going, it's been a long wait. I won't try and describe their sound, but please give it a listen! A Sober Conversation by BC Camplight… ## [Well Dressing](https://hicks.design/journal/well-dressing) _2025-06-16 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ Every year, the Hicks Brothers get together for a few days of walking, cycling, eating and drinking. It means we all get to hang out for more than just weddings and funerals! In 2024 we went to the Lake District , and this year we chose the Peak District, and the bucolic village of Ashford-in-the-Water in particular. On the first day in the village we came across a sign outside the village hall,… ## [Sleep Paralysis](https://hicks.design/journal/sleep-paralysis) _2025-06-14 · Hicks.design Journal: Latest articles_ I woke up in the bedroom of the Airbnb, to a malevolent presence holding me tightly down to the bed. I couldn't move any of limbs at all, such was the force at which it held me down. I tried to shout at it, but couldn't speak. All I could manage was a kind of muffled grunt, in a vain attempt to fight back or call for help. Eventually the presence stopped, and I could move my body again. The room…