The Brooks Review

First, Happy Birthday Dad. Second, this week a truncated version of the journal as there wasn’t much going on as far as good writing last week, and well I moved so that took most of my energy.

This week: warmth, anxiety watches, somewhat, poop with no lights on, and some thoughts on iPadOS, naturally.

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Shorter article this week, as you read this I am in the process of moving, also because I seemed to have already packed my keyboard so I am typing on the screen. Hold up, this is silly, let me find that thing. Ok, got it, onward.

This week: competing theories of how to live your best life, being banned from Uber, and a practical level of obsession.

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I received a couple of these to test from Studio Neat a little while back. As you all know, I am a huge fan of everything they do, these notebooks are no exception.

I don’t know that there is a better notebook to buy out there. It’s taboo to talk about other competing products when you promote something new, but I am totally going to break that.

Continue reading: The Totebook from Studio Neat

Today, Ulysses has a new app version bringing it up to 16. As you know, I think it is foolish for any person to not own this app, and just as foolish to waste your time writing in any other app. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement in this app, and thankfully the team behind Ulysses agreed.

Continue reading: Ulysses 16: 2-Up

This week: my favorite newsletters, restaurant red flags, a popular deep think post has me ruminating on this member post, and a substantial amount of of words on backpacks and briefcases at the end of it.

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This week: the more they know, the best thing at Starbucks, high powered charging, wireless charging, and the cult of Jack.

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At some point around the iPhone 4/4S/5 era, the iPhone camera became good enough. It wasn’t demonstrably better than most dedicated cameras at the time, but it was good enough that most people would be fine with it. It was also easier to carry, and still is, than most dedicated cameras — at least those worth carrying.

Continue reading: My Never Ending Internal Debate: Dedicated Camera or iPhone Only

This week: I have a bigger shift, something has me wondering, I struggle with Cal Newport, polluting meetings, and cancelling news.

Should be fun.

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When I travel for work, I generally travel in a smaller backpack with that being my only bag. In the past, I take that backpack to and from the work locations and events as it is my only bag on the trip. This is generally not an issue, but can be a bit cumbersome when all you are carrying is an iPad Pro. Additionally, I have been getting a little more interested in carrying a hand bag on a regular basis for my life in general — as you can imagine I have no shortage of bags in my home, but none of them quite fit the bill for me.

Continue reading: Orbit Gear Eagle Claw Review

This week: quit how you want to be remembered, lady backpacks, shut out the noise, Apple Notes, stress, Slack, privacy, and paywalls.

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Note: WESN sent me this sample for review.

The WESN TI Micro Blade is one of those knives where it should have a cult following because of exactly what is shirks. It’s small where everything is large, it’s inexpensive in a category overflowing with overpriced crap. It uses better than average materials, and oh, it is minuscule in size and yet can replace most EDC blades. In other words, from the specs alone, this should be the ideal blade for office workers everywhere.

It is big enough to get shit done, and small enough not to threaten any HR department. But, the first version I got had a major deal breaker.

Continue reading: WESN Micro Blade Rev. 2

This week: I talk about a terrible company, and relate decision fatigue to algorithm fatigue, I rate everyone, and lastly there is a new app that I am infatuated with.

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I don’t know how anyone can stand to use the new MacBooks out there, or why they would spend that much money on a computer. So, this is my quick guide on how to use an iPad Pro full time in a general computer sense (i.e. not for niche uses like Audio/video/photo editing or anything of that nature). Follow this guide and you can leave behind the world of overpriced computers that you will never fully utilize and instead enter a happier place.

Continue reading: A Starter Guide for Going iPad Pro Only

This week: I talk about a name, I ask what are you doing, I offer a top tip, I share insights from a dense man, millennials, and I cull things.

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Quite a name, for what is actually a very neat and simple pouch — I touched on this pouch for members, but it’s pretty great. So let’s talk about it a little more. I picked up the size ‘small’, but it does come in a few other sizes and I found the measurements provided to be very accurate overall.

For this, I am solely focused on the small size.

Continue reading: Tom Bihn Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch