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  • Happy Hacking Keyboard Type-S Snow Edition

    Happy Hacking Keyboard Type-S Snow Edition

    Easily the best keyboard I have ever used.

    I’ve been a huge fan of the Morgrie RK68B for some time now, and the two I owned were all I was using for typing for a good long while. The Happy Hacking Keyboard was simply the last on my list to try out, and when I started to get a little annoyed with the loud clicking of the Morgrie, I decided to snag this Type-S Snow Edition.

    Holy shit, yeah, this is the best keyboard on the market.

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  • Thoughts on Various Watch Strap Brands

    Thoughts on Various Watch Strap Brands

    Please learn from my watch strap buying mistakes, so that you may spend your money better.

    I buy a lot of watch straps, and certainly I have this year especially. Because of this, I have developed an affinity for some brands over others, so I thought it would be good to talk about my experience with each brand generally in hopes you might agree with me on my choice for the best watch straps.

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  • ‘Dear men, stop dressing like trash’

    ‘Dear men, stop dressing like trash’

    We really need to start caring about our appearance.

    Matt Ruby, writing for his newsletter:

    We’re still coming to terms with all the different ways pandemic broke us. Perhaps the most unsightly: It normalized employed men dressing like trash.

    You need to read the entire thing before you assume you know what will be said. It’s fast and fun to read. And it’s 100% true.

    His comments on SBF, basketball/football coaches. Attire in the airports. Attire in tech. It’s all so very true, and very sad. When you dress well, you feel great. Sometimes you should dress well out of respect for something: the recently deceased; the institution; or the date you want to like you. Other times you should dress well out of respect for yourself.

    And dressing well doesn’t mean being uncomfortable. I know you remember it being that way, but that’s likely because the clothing didn’t fit well, or was of low quality. Dressing well also doesn’t mean spending loads of money. But, other people can help you sort that out.

  • Member Journal – 11/27/23

    Member Journal – 11/27/23

    The real winner of that OpenAI shit, and then I end up pivoting all the way over to my gear tracking log.

    This week: OpenAI; odd sale season; pens and notebooks; and gear tracking.

  • MOFT Snap Tablet Stand

    MOFT Snap Tablet Stand

    A really good and easy to use stand, without the whole case thing.

    When I snagged my iPad Mini, I realized that I wanted a more integrated case for travel. The Smart Cover from Apple, while nice, doesn’t seem to suit this smaller iPad well. A sleeve felt like it would be too cumbersome, and thus I went looking.

    The first case was a snap on style with a kickstand. It worked well and protected the iPad in addition to stand duties. Then I decided to go another direction instead of case with stand, focus on an easy to use stand. I tried a bunch before grabbing this MOFT Snap stand.

    It’s not perfect, but it is quite good.

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  • Everyday Wear Ramping Back Up

    Everyday Wear Ramping Back Up

    Wear better clothing, Everyday Wear is here to help.

    I don’t want to over promise here, but Steve and I are ramping back up our writing over on Everyday Wear. A lot of smaller things going on, so if you forgot this site existed, hop on over.

    I recently wrote up: Proper Cloth’s Reda Merino fabric; Relwen’s Flyweight Flex Blazer; White’s Perry Boots; and did another undershirt round up. Steve also wrote up Filson’s Draftsman chinos, which I am a big fan of as well.

    We’ve got a bunch more to come. So stay tuned.

    Of course, Steve and I don’t focus on fashion and style, so to cover that edge of the spectrum, I recommend A Well Worn Dispatch.

  • Hardgraft Flat Pack – Quick Revisit

    Hardgraft Flat Pack – Quick Revisit

    If this bag is big enough for you, then you’ll have found an exceptionally good bag for the office.

    I reviewed an earlier version of this bag quite some time ago, and while I was very happy with it back then, I eventually moved on from it. But the idea of it has never left my head, as conceptually it is so simple and ideal.

    When I saw one for a good price show up on eBay, I snagged a modern version of the Flat Pack. This is the larger of the two sizes, even though you’ll look at the images and think it is the smaller one.

    The short version: if you carry only a few things to and from work, then there might not be a better bag out there. But if you like to carry stuff, this is going to be a very hard bag for you to use.

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  • A few notable sales

    A few notable sales

    Some solid deals to be had.

    In case you missed these ones:

    Lots more sales than normal going on, great time to snag a few things.

  • Member Journal — 11/20/23

    Member Journal — 11/20/23

    How to keep from incinerating your personal money, while watching Silicon Valley absolutely vaporize money.

    This week: when buying the best is worth it; new Bullet Rucks; and OpenAI drama.

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  • Office Carry: Briefcases and Backpack

    Office Carry: Briefcases and Backpack

    How a staunch believer in backpacks, has adopted a briefcase for the office.

    Let’s have a chat about office bags. My stance for a long while has been: wear a backpack, no one cares, they are more comfortable, and better for your back. Something like that, right? My stance is now: I care how I look more than I used to, and backpacks don’t look that good on me when I stare at the mirrored elevator doors, so carry a briefcase.

    Back at my house, I was once again swimming in a sea of bags stuffed in my closet. Bags I didn’t want to sell, and yet not a single one of those bags felt like the bag I wanted to use for the office. Then I started longing after Hardgraft’s Long Haul Briefcase. It looked like the beacon, the next bag which would rid me of this feeling of not having the correct bag.

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  • Member Journal — 11/13/23

    Member Journal — 11/13/23

    When you have a pretty great idea, solid hardware skills, but no concept of taste.

    This week: thoughts on that AI Pin; using a mouse with my iPad; a new keyboard; and the actors strike is over.

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  • Weiss Watch Company Standard Issue Field Watch: 38mm Titanium Limited Edition (Blue Ocean)

    Weiss Watch Company Standard Issue Field Watch: 38mm Titanium Limited Edition (Blue Ocean)

    This might be one of the best watch buys out there when it comes to a field watch, or simply a watch you never want to have to worry about, and you’ll love wearing.

    When I first stumbled across Weiss Watch Company, I knew I would eventually have one to call my own, but I had no idea which model, and while I loved the concept, no single model was calling to me. This past summer, that changed, as Weiss Watch Company released two limited edition models of their Standard Issue Field Watch, both in 38mm Titanium cases. The Blue Ocean and Pink Sand models are limited to 30 pieces per dial (that model is sold out, here’s their current offerings).

    I picked up a Blue Ocean model, which arrived at the end of August — it’s a tremendously good watch.

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  • Member Journal — 11/6/23

    Member Journal — 11/6/23

    Why AIM was better than Teams, and faster too. And then I stir the iPad as a computer pot, as well as the WFH stuffs.

    This week: iPads as Computers; Slow Software; and WFH productivity.

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  • Rolex Datejust – A Longterm Review

    Rolex Datejust – A Longterm Review

    This can, is, and for sure should, be the only watch people need.

    I received this watch in November of 2016, a couple of months after my grandfather passed. It was his watch, and watch he had had for just shy of a decade, but had worn everyday of that time — it was a watch which commemorated a business success for him. This is also the watch which caused me to kick my Apple Watch to the curb, and entrenched my wrist and my wallet back into the watch world.

    And, this is also the watch model (generally not this specific variant) I will almost always recommend to someone who wants a one watch collection. I thought it would be good to sit down, and write about this watch after having it now for seven years myself.

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  • Member Journal — 10/30/23

    Member Journal — 10/30/23

    Today I will teach how to pack like a fucking boss, in ten simple tips. After which, we can chat about X and that mess.

    This week: my ten tips for packing like a fucking boss; and some shit about Musk and X.

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  • Filson Workshop Messenger Bag

    Filson Workshop Messenger Bag

    My new dad bag, day and travel bag. It’s really quite good for simple reasons.

    Filson sneakily released a limited run of 50 numbered messenger bags in a design they’ve not previously done. I snagged one when I saw it, if nothing else it might be neat to have. And then I started using it, and well I kept using it, and it’s replaced the Medium Field bag and Small Carryon 240 for me. It’s a very nice bag, so even though you can’t buy a new one, I thought it worth taking about should Filson re-release this later, or you find one for sale secondhand.

    Here’s the original product page for as long as they keep it around.

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  • Member Journal — 10/23/23

    Member Journal — 10/23/23

    Bloggers have twisted the meaning of productivity and stolen our Sundays, and other musings.

    This week: I have problems with how productivity is marketed, and treated; and other musings on stuff.

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  • My AirPods Rant

    My AirPods Rant

    AirPods are really amazing feats of engineering which complicate my life in extremely annoying ways.

    Note: a version of this post originally appeared for Members. This is an expanded and edited version of that post. Also, thank you to Apple for releasing new EarPods with USB-C!

    This idea, vibe, or trend — it’s been playing in the back of my mind for a long time now. AirPods, and AirPods Pro, are nothing short of magic. That I can pop two small earbuds out of a sleek magnetic case, place them in my ear, and have them connect to my device — receiving and sending audio (and like pretty good audio)? And they last for hours? Like holy fucking shit you guys, that’s impressive.

    That they sound pretty good, make me sound pretty good and have solid noise cancellation? Cherry on top right there.

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  • Member Journal — 10/16/23

    Member Journal — 10/16/23

    Why the Action Button is a good concept, with first generation vibes. Also a bit about bags, because they are the best topic.

    This week: a shorter journal; iPhone 15 Pro’s Action Button; my travel bags; Kagi; pen and paper.

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  • Hardgraft Content Cable Case

    Hardgraft Content Cable Case

    Are these the best pouches on the market? Yes.

    After getting the H Small Messenger Bag I wrote about recently, Hardgraft released the Content Cable Case line, which come in a variety of sizes (small, medium, laptop sleeves, and packing cubes). I picked up the Small size in natural, and a few hours after getting it in hand, I bought two more in the medium size.

    They are among the best pouches I’ve ever owned for many of the same reasons that the H Small Messenger is great. They are ideally sized and have a premium feel while not looking like some nylon wonder from Amazon. They’re stellar.

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