The author sought to reduce eye strain by replacing phone reading with an e-ink newspaper on the X4 e-reader. At 4.3 inches, the X4’s small size and lack of backlight made it ideal for horizontal reading. After installing Crosspoint firmware, the author automated blog post conversion using Feedbin’s API and AI tools. Feed filters excluded non-text content, and the project, named feedpaper, runs on Homebrew. This solution allowed reading blogs outdoors without phone dependency.

The X4’s unique setup required minimal tweaking. Unlike stock firmware, Crosspoint offered a seamless experience. The author emphasized the community-driven nature of Crosspoint and its compatibility with ESP32C3 devices. By leveraging AI, feedpaper generated e-pubs from RSS feeds in minutes. The project’s GitHub repository provides instructions for installation, though macOS limitations exist.

Key components included the X4 device, Crosspoint firmware, and Feedbin API. Filtering feeds ensured only blog content was processed. The author’s workflow highlights how open-source tools enable personalized digital habits. The result is a physically comfortable reading experience, aligning with the desire to avoid screen fatigue. The project’s success depends on community contributions to Crosspoint and Feedbin’s API reliability.