A consistent by-product of periods of intense building (software, a book, a team) — really anything where I am heads-down focusing on the craft — is that all the utilities and habits surrounding building said craft get scrutiny. Why? Because small imperfections or inefficiencies stand out when my brain is in build-it mode. Put simply,… more
The final measure of any financial negotiation is the feeling of whether or not you got a “deal”. That prior sentence… makes no sense. I wrote “measure,” and then six words later I wrote “feeling”. A feeling is never a measure, but yet, when you hand over your hard-earned money to buy a thing, you’ll… more
I write this from the latest MacBook Pro. I’ve been running this as my primary machine for almost a month. When I’m not grinding out the latest soon-to-be-released I-swear-I-am-on-schedule book in a coffee shop, I sit at my desk and plug the MacBook into a Studio Display. This braided black cable does it all: video,… more
You can read all the reviews you want about new hardware, but if it’s hardware you touch, there is one test that can only be performed in person, and it’s important: you hold it in your hand and you feel the answer to the question, “Is this a piece of junk?” I was skeptical about… more
I’ve never built more interesting, random, and useless scripts, tools, and services than I have in the last six months. The cost to go from “Random Thought” to “Working Something” has never been lower thanks to Claude Code. However, this increase in speed has only made my desire to move faster and more efficiently higher.… more
When your favorite software tool receives a major update, it’s all dread. It’s not you expect them to ruin the application (although possible); it is because it’s your favorite tool, you know all the intricacies of how it works, and you know exactly how you need it to work. This is not a casual tool.… more
I’m currently on the Pro Leisure Circuit, and with a lot of time on my hands, so I have been playing a lot of video games. Strike that. I’ve been playing one single game, Destiny 2. Yes, I am still playing Destiny, but there’s a twist. I bought a PC. No one is more surprised… more
INT. EVENING. CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA. BJ’S RESTAURANT AND BREWHOUSE. A RECENT FRIDAY NIGHT The bar is full. Two keyboards sit at the bar: APPLE EXTENDED II and MACBOOK PRO. The front door opens, TOUCHBAR looks around, sees the two keyboards at the bar, grins, and heads their direction. Skipping. APPLE EXTENDED II sits at the bar… more
My Touch Bar rage has peaked. It is a point of pride for me how I type. I am proud of the fact that I can sit in this here chair, stare at the screen, and let the words flow effortlessly. I very rarely look at the keyboard, and when I do, I have a… more
Without fail, when you tell me about a new productivity system, editor, or typeface, I will drop everything I am doing and give your new productivity system, editor, or typeface a whirl. This happens weekly. It’s a problem. The majority of these excursions are brief and can be summarized thusly: Install the thing. Use the… more
