Happy Sunday morning everyone. In my little world, it was the week of the Vision Pro, tariffs, and employment insurance premiums on self-employment income. Yawn, yawn, and yawn, right? Maybe, but I found the amount of learning to hit me at a break neck pace, whether I was allowed to learn or not.

But most excitingly, we had a couple firsts in the house this week. First, our oldest daughter picked up a hockey stick for the first time. For the last two years, she’s been adamantly against ever playing hockey, even on an outdoor rink with me. But when she picked up a stick the first time and took a big, rookie slap-shot (and after falling on her butt), she looked over at me with a giant spark in her eye. What an incredible feeling! That feeling I had when I was a seven-year-old kid on the outdoor rink — she just experienced that. Who knows if it goes anywhere. But it’s so much fun to see her discover the best parts of a childhood.

Second, our middle kiddo skated on her own for the first time. This was another one of those stubborn stories — we had to hold her until she determined it was embarrassing to have her dad holding her up while her friends and cousins could skate on their own. After skating around the rink the first time on her own, she looked at me and said, “Dad, can you tell mom I skated on my own and see if she’s proud of me?”

You got me, kiddo. Be right back — I’ll go talk to mom.

Being a father is the best thing in the entire world.

Some Apple Vision Pro One-Year Reviews

The one-year anniversary Vision Pro reviews were far and away better than any of the early impressions reviews from 10 or 11 months ago. Lucky owners delved into what they really like about the Vision Pro, what they think will improve, and where the device goes flat out sideways. More than anything, you get to see how some users have modified the device for comfort, or how they use the Vision Pro when traveling or when at their desk.

Here’s the list of my favourite reviews from the week:

  • What We Really Think About Apple Vision Pro — (Adam Savage)
  • The Vision Pro one year later: this product just ain’t for me — (Matt Birchler)
  • Crying in Apple Vision Pro Is No Laughing Matter — (Wired)
  • Apple Vision Pro: 1 Year Later — (BasicAppleGuy)

Call me crazy, but I want to purchase one and play around for a couple weeks, especially with the 4-Nations Face-Off coming up in a week. I would like to see what it’s like to watch live sports, movies, and TV shows, and see if it’s handy in a pinch for working on a Mac. It feels like one of those devices you have to try for yourself before you can really judge it.

Frugal vs. Independent

Morgan Housel is probably my favourite writer on the planet right now. Here are some banger highlights from this great article:

Frugal, by my definition, means depriving yourself of something you want and could afford. Not wanting something to begin with because you get your pleasure and identity from sources that can’t be purchased is something entirely different. The best word for it is probably independent.
The world tells you – even by a mere whisper – that everyone should want the same things: A big house, a nice car, advanced degrees, credentials, social clubs, etc. I like most of those things. But you have to realize how much of their appeal is an attraction to status, which can be completely different from happiness.

My business partner’s down arrow keycap keeps popping off his laptop keyboard. I’ve insisted on ordering him a new laptop (we’ve tried to fix it already and, well, haven’t had any luck), and his words were “I grew out of wanting new things long ago.”

Maybe it’s age and wisdom? Or perhaps folks have to take some time to realize expensive food, expensive vehicles, and expensive experiences are over-rated?

Whatever it is, I admire it.

The Best Keyboards of 2024, A Year End Review

This is probably on the deeper end of the mechanical keyboard pool than post people tend to go, but there are some incredible Alexotos recommendations in here. I received my Mode Envoy in early 2024, and it quickly became the very best keyboard I could have ever imagined typing on, and it’s less customized and expensive than several boards recommended in this article.

I’m not surprised the Neo Ergo gets such high regard. I’ll add it to the want list for the collection, along with this one.

The Second Cup

  • The Leica LUX Grip — (Leica)
    – Feel free to laugh at the price and the premise behind this accessory. I’m totally here for it. You have to be willing to carry this in your pocket, though.
  • Meishi: a tiny productivity system — (arun.is)
    – I love the idea of keeping this inside the MagSafe Wallet.
  • Reflect Notes
    – I don’t think I’m going to sign up after the trial, but this notes app is the closest thing to the best notes app for me. Markdown, daily notes, backlinks, integrations, and AI.
  • Gemini 2.0 and LLMs Integrated with Apps — (MacStories)
    – I absolutely love NotebookLM and use it almost every day. I’m going to switch over to Gemini rather than ChatGPT for more casual queries and see how things go. My first query was answered insanely quick.
  • My most peaceful photos — (Nicholas Gould)
    – Marvelous photography here. And wonderful editing to boot.

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