08SEP2024
Miniature vintage computers, smart home holiday lighting, stress free charging tech, an essential iOS newsreader, and a sleeper hit camera drop
Happy Sunday, everyone! This blessedly short week, I've been playing with this NASA site that spells out words and names using LANDSAT imagery, trying to find ways to integrate this amazing retro-inspired pixel font into all my projects, drooling over this new, super affordable, pocketable mini drone, 3D printing one of these epic Dieter Rams-inspired iPhone docks, and sharing my intimate inner thoughts in the countdown to Apple's iPhone 16 announcement event tomorrow. Have you found something cool or fun recently that you think others should know about? Just reply to this email, I'd love to hear.
On to the good stuff!
- 💼 Miniature Scale Vintage Computing Replicas - Hear me out on this one— This amazing Montreal-based artist makes insanely detailed miniature replicas of vintage 1970s and 1980s computer labs and offices. My favorite is this absolutely perfect replica of Matthew Broderick's home computer set-up from the movie WarGames, but all of their work is so great. You can browse detailed shots and behind-the-scenes build photos on their website, or just follow their latest creations on Instagram.
- 🚥 NanoLeaf Permanent Outdoor Lights - I've been looking for something like this for a while and am really excited that NanoLeaf finally put this together just in time for the holidays. These multicolor lights install under the eaves of your house and are controllable by basically any smart home system (including Apple HomeKit) thanks to their Matter-compatibility. They offer all kinds of neat holiday patterns, or just stylish plain white accent light during the off-season, and can be scheduled/triggered/automated using Siri.
- 🧲 Magnetic USB-C Charger Attachment* - I've been really digging these little adapters that convert any USB-C port into a MagSafe-style magnetic connection. Simply plug the small host adapter into your device's USB-C port, and attach the other adapter to your preferred USB-C cable, and suddenly you can quickly attach and detach your cable magnetically like the old MacBook charging cables. This has given me a lot more peace of mind with my laptop and iPad when they're charging with little ones running around the house. *Not in any way sponsored, but an Amazon Affiliate link.
- 📰 Reeder App for iOS - Silvio released his total rethink of his already stellar RSS app, Reeder, this last week. I've been beta testing this new version for months as it's been developed and have really enjoyed this fresh approach. In short, Reeder lets you create a scrollable feed of all your favorite RSS feeds, plus basically any other feed you want— YouTube creators, Reddit subreddits, podcasts you follow, social media accounts you want to follow, and so on. It remembers where you are on your timeline, and then you can just scroll through updates as you like. If you're burnt out on algorithmic content, and just want to see the stuff you like, I highly recommend checking it out.
- 📷 CampSnap Cameras - These little digital cameras have peripherally been on my radar for a while, and they've just come out with their third version. After reading Jedda's Review, I'm now kinda intrigued to pick one up. In short, these $65 point & shoot digital cameras have no screen, just an LCD shot counter, and seem meant to replicate the experience of having a disposable camera (fixed focus, cheap, plastic lens and all). You don't get to see your shots until you connect it to your computer later. I could see this being great for camping trips, nights out, or for introducing young kids to photography.
â €That's it for this week, be well everyone!
p.s. Instead of asking you to forward this issue to a friend as usual, this week I want to ask you to consider joining me in donating to the OMG.LOL fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital. This really fun annual fundraiser is hoping to raise $12,500 this year for battling childhood cancers, and we're getting crazy close to the goal. If you are already supporting other causes, or don't have the spare funds right now, no sweat at all, but we'd sure appreciate you sharing the good word!