The Brooks Review

Month: February 2019

  • Misuse of Eastern Ideas

    I don’t love this post from Amy Olberding, because I don’t think it applies s neatly to Marie Kondo as it does to the examples of Sun Tzu in the article (which is misused and the analysis is spot on). With Kondo it is a bit different but bordering on stupidity at this point, that said I still think many people I know should read Kondo’s book.

    Anyways, the entire reason for this link is so I can quote this bit:

    Kondo is, in several ways, a Mr Miyagi for the anxious, late-capitalist, consumerist age.

  • Reasons Why Men Should Carry a Purse

    I mean you can just carry a bag, but for the love of everything don’t call it a man-purse or a murse. There’s just no need. You know what’s a good name: ‘hand bag’.

  • Cutting the Five Tech Giants

    Kashmir Hill on the experience:

    I’ve just traded one huge corporation seeking to monetize my searches for another, less competent one.

    I think that’s astute and something most people miss when they try to cut out too many of the big companies. It’s fair to say that you should cut out Google and Facebook as much as you can. Amazon seems like it will protect your data better than Kroger, and Apple better than any startup. That said, Hill’s series on all of this is worth the read.

  • Changing my Coffee Routine & Setup

    I used to really hate coffee, so instead I drank obscene amounts of Pepsi to fill my caffeine needs. But as part of getting healthier I stopped drinking soda at home, but this still meant needing caffeine — so I moved to coffee. My wife and I initially did this with a Starbucks Verismo machine (Erin would like me to clarify that she has liked coffee since college and Spain), which is like half Keurig and half Nespresso. It makes solid coffee, but the pods are hard to find (mostly from Starbucks stores, though now I see Amazon has a ready stock, but they were always on sale at the stores) and very expensive ($1.50 a pod typically). However the convenience was impossible for us to ignore.

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  • Snack Pick of the Week: 2/25/19

    Alright, you’re going to need to hear me out on this one — but it is one of my favorite go to snacks. It’s just not one that many of you who don’t work from home will be able to easily accomplish. This week’s snack pick is: cold nachos.

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  • iPad Productivity Report — 2/25/19

    This week: a look at how I have started to take better *looking* iPad notes, my transition *back* from physical notebooks, and a quick note on some of the content shifts a couple people have pointed out.

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  • GORUCK Spring Cleaning Sale

    Some good deals on select items from GORUCK in their Spring Cleaning Sale. The Kid Ruck is down to $125, which makes it a good buy again. Even better is the GR2, which is back down to its old price of $395 — so if you want the best large sized travel backpack, I’d jump on that one.

  • Below Deck

    So if 90 Day Fiancé is the second best show on TV, what’s the best? That honor goes to Below Deck, the best show on TV right now. Forget about Game of Thrones, it’s solid, definitely a top 10, but Below Deck is far better. Allow me to explain.

    Below Deck is what I call a quasi-reality show. The people are real, not actors, and while parts are likely scripted — the situations are amazing. What you get is a look at the behind the scenes workings of a luxury lifestyle not many people will ever be able to afford to take part in. Groups of people renting 150’+ Yachts with a private crew, chef, and all-inclusive-vacation in tropical locales. These cruises are hundreds of thousands of dollars to charter, but word is those who agree to be on the show get 50% off. While the crew themselves work at a slavish pace to earn big tips.

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  • Snack Pick of the Week: 2/19/19

    You’re going to want to act fast on this snack pick, because this is a limited availability item. Obviously, that only adds to making this taste better. So this week the snack pick is Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries.

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  • Member-Only Post for 2/18/19

    This week I talk a bit about lifestyle changes which have come through in my travel setup with my new role. I also share some thoughts I have been storing in a list for a couple years around being ‘a boss’. Lastly, I know you are really wanting an update on my new keyboard, so I don’t disappoint there.

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  • Snack Pick of the Week — 2/11/19

    I’m traveling this week, so I’ll give my pick to the best travel snack I’ve found which isn’t something I necessarily would rate as the best under any other circumstance. That is Jack Links Beef Jerky, Peppered flavor.

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  • iPad Productivity Report — 2/11/19

    This week: an update on my new mechanical keyboard, some notes about USB-C. Further, some thoughts about using an iPad Pro in a corporate environment (it’s fine) and some additional musings unrelated to iPads, but which *hey why not add them here.*

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  • Screen recording scamalytics face App Store ban

    Zack Whittaker:

    Apple is telling app developers to remove or properly disclose their use of analytics code that allows them to record how a user interacts with their iPhone apps — or face removal from the app store, TechCrunch can confirm.

  • Some iPhone apps are secretly recording your screen

    Michael Grothaus:

    Using Glassbox’s session reply technology, app makers can see every tap and swipe you make. Keystrokes are also recorded and any text you write is captured as well, though text inputs are usually masked so as to hide sensitive information like credit card or passport numbers. However, TechCrunch found that not all apps that are using Glassbox’s tech are masking data fields properly, leaving sensitive information exposed in the screen recordings. And since all screen recordings go back to the app developer through Glassbox’s servers, anyone at the company with access to those servers could potentially see a user’s unmasked personal data.

    Ban them, and it’s not just Glassbox. In fact, apps should have to disclose the analytics packages they use in the app description.

  • SureFire Titan Plus

    I’ve been hearing about this light for quite some time now, with the consensus being that this is a fantastic light at a great price (especially for a SureFire light). There are two models of this light, the Plus and the standard. Both take a AAA battery to power them, but the size and output varies.

    The standard Titan is shorter by a fair amount and has a maximum output of 125 lumens — which is about all you need for most scenarios where you would be using a light this small. It has two modes at 15 lumens and 125 lumens and is only $55.

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  • Snack Pick of the Week: 2/4/19

    This week I am going with a classic snack, and one that will fill you up as well. Ritz Sandwich Crackers which come with either a cheese filling or a peanut butter filling. There is a divide in our house over which is best, with my oldest daughter and wife preferring the cheese, and my youngest the peanut butter. I personally think the peanut butter takes the win on this, but the cheese is very good as well.

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  • iPad Productivity Report — 2/4/19

    This week I touch on some thoughts around Darkroom for iPad (and in general). I also share thoughts on my reacquaintance with a Mac, now that I have one again for work, as well as my evolving desk setup now that I am figuring out the tools I need for my new job.

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  • A New Report on Internet Usage

    Matthew Hughes:

    That figure sounds like a lot, but it’s absolutely astronomical when spread across an entire year. It equates to more than 100 days of online time every year for every Internet user. That’s more than 27 percent of every year.

  • New Study On Facebook Use

    Nicole Karlis, reporting on the new study:

    As the researchers state: “We find little evidence to support the hypothesis suggested by prior work that Facebook might be more beneficial for ‘active’ users—for example, users who regularly comment on pictures and posts from friends and family instead of just scrolling through their news feeds.”

    The whole report is basically: you’re better off without it.