It’s another Sunday morning, suddenly! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful week. It was a beautiful 20C yesterday, ensuring everyone was on the deck barbecuing for their family. There’s nothing like that fresh spring air after a long, long winter.

This week, I want to share my opinions on phone calls. The opinion: Phone calls are power moves that are unproductive, anxiety-inducing, and the least effective method of communication. There are certainly positives to phone calls — if executed effectively, a person’s tone can be productive and a quick answer can be provided — but phone calls do not produce much value. They are also unreferenceable (unless you record the call, which still feels taboo).

Let’s start with an unscheduled phone call. This is the worst method of communication available. At best, an unscheduled phone call catches you at an opportune moment and you are able to answer the caller’s question quickly. At worst, well, it’s awful.

• The caller drops a complicated question on you that you cannot answer effectively on the spot.
• If you attempt to answer confidently without the proper information, you risk leading them down the wrong path. This can cost money, time, confidence, and more. I don’t feel this is the best course of action.
• If you say you don’t have an answer, this is often construed as though you may not “know your stuff”, which bears the risk of lowered confidence in you in the future.
• If you say you don’t have an immediate answer, you have to find the time to research the question, either call or write out the answer, and send that answer in the future.

Unscheduled phone calls turn what the caller thinks should be a 10-minute discussion into a multi-hour affair for the recipient. The recipient often has to eat crow by not knowing something on the spot, the caller doesn’t achieve the quick answer they’re looking for, the recipient has to spend time researching and worrying about answering, and the recipient has to schedule time to provide that answer, either via phone or some other form of communication. And this is all assuming an unscheduled phone call back to the original caller is picked up at an opportune time to discuss.

Don’t be the person who calls people unannounced. Send a text or an email ahead of time. Ask if the recipient has time to discuss a particular topic. This allows them to be prepared for your call, research the topic, and make the best use of everyone's time. They can also perform the research part whenever works best for them, ensuring they can do it efficiently. They can respond in a referenceable format.

Yes, this is a generational issue. But an entire generation can be wrong about something.

Simply Scripture

I discovered this AI tool when viewing Tim Wildsmith’s video about choosing the right study Bible. I jumped in for free and gave it a shot and was underwhelmed. I could see the paid version being much more helpful (and it’s a reasonable price too), though I believe you can achieve most of the functionality with a free customGPT in ChatGPT as well.

But this begs the question: Should Bible study be supplemented by AI? Should you rely on AI to help make scriptural connections? Can AI help a pastor to build out a sermon?

For most, the answer will be an emphatic “No!”. AI is a soulless computer, effectively building a barrier between your study and the Spirit guiding you. I sympathize with this.

But I also think this is short-sighted. When used right, AI is effective at quickly finding references and connections to other information. You may know that reference is there and you just can’t remember the specific details. You may not know that reference is there and something becomes unlocked in your thinking.

I liken it much to our use of BlueJ, AI software built out for tax lawyers and tax accountants to make short work of tax research for complex problems. After years of study, I know of many topics addressed by the Income Tax Act. Do I know each topic like the back of my hand? No. AI is good at unlocking much of the topic in short order. To me, Bible study can and should be treated the same way.

I would never advocate for AI to take the place of patience and prayer when studying or building out a sermon. Never, ever, ever. God must do His work in those moments with you. A computer must not take that place.

But when used as a supplemental tool — to quickly compile multiple references to a particular topic — I don’t think AI should be overlooked by those looking to study the Word.

Oliur’s Four-Year Look at the Pro Display XDR

This video isn’t so much a review of the Pro Display XDR, but rather a look at whether Oliur feels the Pro Display XDR was a good purchase four years ago. Spoiler alert: He feels it was a great purchase.

Oliur focuses on the cost of the Pro Display XDR here. Which makes sense — the display is a $5,000 USD purchase, let alone the stand. He specifically states the display is made for businesses and professional users who are making money with the display.

Now that I’m on this side of the coin — both the “Business-owner” side and the “have enough money to buy this kind of thing” side — I feel Oliur is correct. It’s easier to spend business money on a tool that improves your work; may improve your work. And improving your work takes many forms — either productivity and efficiency improvements, or morale improvements, or long-term durability savings — ensuring it’s easy to throw money at good tools like the Pro Display XDR or the Studio Display.

I’ve purchased three Studio Displays in the last two or three years, which feels outrageous. Do they improve my efficiency over a less expensive display? Almost surely not. Could I get a better specced display for the same money? Almost surely, yes.

But the Studio Display improves work morale, looks excellent on my desk, and just works no matter what. I never run into technical issues with the Studio Display. We have LG displays and Dell displays in the office too, and they certainly run into glitches. Each glitch has to be addressed by the in-house tech guru, and each glitch costs time and money. I hate technology issues in the office.

I don’t see myself buying the current Pro Display XDR, but I do see myself buying yet another Studio Display. There’s something about the way these displays drive creativity and productivity, and how they just work, no matter how you use them.

I have many favourite devices these days, but I would reckon the Studio Display is at the tippy top of the list.

The Second Cup

Tiger Inspirat

Nice-looking wallpapers inspired by the old macOS Tiger era. I feel this is a pure copycat of Hector Simpson’s Aqueux (which unfortunately hasn’t been updated with versions of the latest macOS.)

This is number 10,000

Seth Godin has written 10,000 blog posts over the last 25 years. That’s an impressive catalog of work.

Invisible Stand

Found this one via MacStories. Moft has been active recently, with both the Invisible Stand garnering great reviews and the new Dynamic Folio coming out soon. There’s still some innovation going on in this space.

Kat’s Vitsoe 606 Universal Shelving System

I still love the simple design of the Vitsoe 606 system. You probably need a specific aesthetic where this would fit — something tells me it wouldn’t fit in a farmhouse or rustic aesthetic. But one day, I want one of these in a home office.

Happy Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.

Good Sunday morning everyone! I hope you've had a great week. It was spring break for the kiddos this past week, which meant a different routine than normal. As I get older, change in routine certainly adds to the stress of the regular daily grind. I can imagine how persnickety I'll be about change as I get into my 60s.

On Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal scoring record — I grew up a Sidney Crosby fan, ensuring I cheered against Ovechkin every chance I had. But I can't stop shouting now every time Ovechkin lights the lamp.

It was hard to know it in those years, but how lucky have we been to see both Crosby and Ovechkin play this sport for over 20 years and bring the sport into an all-new level of quality. They are still behemoths of the game, producing each and every night (Crosby just scored, as I write this this Saturday afternoon). And they have done it with class and tact throughout.

I really don't appreciate Canada's current political climate having to drive a wedge in Ovechkin's record-breaking run. We have to stop with this political nonsense. Ovechkin's record-breaking run is good for the game of hockey, regardless of his nationality or his choice in friends.

On splittable pension income and on dropping the base income tax rate by 1% or 2.25% — I've shied away from writing about Canadian tax on the blog recently, even though it’s probably my favourite topic. But again, with all the political crap in the Canadian news, I want to ensure my readers are at least somewhat notified.

I have two bones to pick with Income Tax Act currently.

The first: Though people think small business owners and "the rich" (whatever that measurable statistic means) have access to all sorts of tax loopholes, there are indeed few available. One unfair issue in the Income Tax Act though is the ability to split registered pension plan income with a spouse before a taxpayer turns 65 years of age. Those who contribute to RRSPs (which are subsequently converted to RRIFs later on in life) are only allowed to split income with a spouse after the age of 65.

Who cares right?

Well, the vast majority of folks who contribute to a registered pension plan are government employees and big business employees. In Canada, a huge swath of employed individuals (some measures are 20%, others are up to 40% depending on the categorization) work for the government in some shape or form. Nearly all of them have registered pension plans, which are triggered upon retirement (nearly always before the age of 65), and they are able to split this income with a spouse to better utilize lower tax brackets.

The vast majority of individuals who contribute to RRSPs are the self-employed and private business employees. These folks, even if retired before 65 years of age, are not able to split their income with their spouse, causing extra tax to be paid.

The second bone to pick: By dropping the base income tax rate by 1% or 2.25%, both Canadian politicians running to be Prime Minister are happily jumping over the reduction in non-refundable tax credits, as they are tied to the base income tax rate. This means all sorts of boutique tax credits — like my favourite Digital News Subscription tax credit, which is only available to recognized media publications as recognized by our Canadian government — drop in value.

Don't let any of these politicians fool you — there have been only one or two actual tax savings ideas put forward by either political party. Dropping the base tax rate does far less than they’re leading on.

Nintendo Switch 2 Impressions: One Big Asterisk!

Marques Brownlee’s first look at the Nintendo Switch 2 is excellent (though there are probably a dozen or more awesome videos out there.) I am not an original Nintendo Switch owner. We’ve worked hard to keep iPads and screens away from our young kiddo eyes and I haven’t felt justification to own both an Xbox and a Switch.

But the girls are getting older and I want to introduce them to the games I grew up with.

My understanding is Nintendo is limiting pre-orders for the Switch 2 to a subset of fans to ensure less nefarious scalping takes place. You know, fair. Nintendo’s prerogative. The last go-round was nothing to write home about.

However, I’m bummed I can’t order one for launch day. I’ve waited extra time because I didn’t want to buy a 10-year old device, and now I’m going to have to wait longer.

A few other thoughts:

• The GameShare idea looks excellent, especially for a Switch, which likely finds itself in more “shareable” situations than other gaming consoles.
• I get that the price of this thing (and its games) appear to have gone up significantly. But am I missing something? Xbox Series X games are increasingly $130 CAD (say, about $95 USD), let alone deluxe edition games. I’m not involved in video games much, so perhaps these prices have long been areas of scrutiny for other gaming consoles.

Overall, I can’t wait to see the Switch 2 hit the market. I am buying one for my family and I can’t wait to play Mario Kart with everyone all at once.

Dave2D’s M3 Ultra Mac Studio Review

Likely well past the official “viewing best before” date, Dave2D’s look at the M3 Ultra Mac Studio really opened my eyes. Not that this is something I would ever want or need in my life. But how the M3 Ultra Mac Studio introduces the power to run the most powerful local LLMs and it can be had for a simple five-figure price.

I’m only scratching the surface of AI, both in my personal and professional lives, and I barely grasp the capability, let alone the privacy and other concerns associated. I’m not certain I’m handling it correctly in my work life, either. It’s scary.

But the potential of this power, locally, at a $10,000 or so price tag? This is not a hard thing to spend money on for a plethora of business use-cases.

I can’t wait to see how some Mac Studio users build out their capabilities using this newfound, affordable power.

The Second Cup

Teresa Man’s Workspaces.xyz Setup

I’m here to point at the cool wrist rests in Teresa’s setup. They are Kensington Ergosoft wrist rests, which you can find here (oddly, to be ordered in bulk only? So perhaps try Amazon for a single order.) I think these look great, especially in an all-white setup.

Antinote

Thanks Marius for the cool app find. This app appears to have a cool ephemeral thought-process. Also, the “auto-paste” feature looks like something other notes apps should consider.

Hansker Vertical Mouse

This mouse looks a lot like Logitech’s MX Vertical and Lift mouses. From this page though, the Hansker Vertical looks nicer and appears to be filled with features. If you’re looking for an ergonomic mouse option, this one looks like it is worth your research time.

A Designer’s Dual Studio Display Workspace in Canada

I’ve tried working with two Studio Displays at once. I got sick. Maybe I had them setup wrong. But that much screen real estate and that much light became so overwhelming. The workspace looks amazing. I just don’t think I could work with this.

Happy Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.