📱 Grip it and flip it

ohsnap! Snap Grip Stand ↗

It’s a low-profile grip like a PopSocket, but with a flip-out aluminum adjustable stand.

I’ve found the stand alone to be great for travel, and if you add the included MagSafe ring sticker to the back of an iPad mini, you can use it for that during a flight too.

The only negative I can think of is that you have to remove it entirely to wireless charge, but that’s the same with any of these attachments.

🎙️ Stop typing, you neanderthal

Monologue ↗

Yes, yes, dictation has been around for a while. But if you haven’t tried the latest wave of AI dictation apps, you’re honestly missing out. The advantages are not only speed and accuracy, but also the way it can remove fragments of speech when you misspeak or change your mind mid-thought.

Also that it can adapt the writing style based on the destination: one style and tone for messaging apps, another for when you’re coding or writing an email.

Monologue is generally just more delightful than a lot of the other tools floating around right now, with better sound effects, nicer animations, and less sterile productivity-lab energy.

🥤 Smoothie operator

ZWILLING Enfinigy Personal Blender ↗

It’s pretty fly, for a blender. I wanted something to quickly make smoothies and not look like a piece of shit on the counter. This does the job and doesn't make you hate it.

I will say, the included cup lid is great, but definitely hand-wash only. I’ve had one of the small bits break in the dishwasher. (Rookie move.)

🕰️ Time waits for no hands

HYPEBEAST ↗

Balmuda made a clock with no hands, because apparently normal clocks were still too legible. It uses a little illuminated ring to point at the hour and minute markers instead, which makes it look less like a household appliance and more like something you'd find in a boutique hotel lobby with a $9 sparkling water policy. Very pretty.

✨ The new Tamagotcha

starboy ↗

I regret to inform you that I may now want a $399 decorative metal creature whose main feature is being an extremely good little guy. This is starboy, and it hits that same part of the brain as a new-age Tamagotchi for adults.

It comes in aluminum, stainless steel, brass, and crystal, plus you can add a tiny halo if you really want to commit to the bit. Completely unnecessary object. Strong aura. I respect it.

🏋️ Gym in a box

Voltra I ↗

The Beyond Power Voltra I is a 13-pound handheld cable machine that delivers up to 200 lbs of digital resistance. It has a touchscreen, a rechargeable battery, multiple training modes, and you can mount it to basically anything. A rack, a door, even your car.

At $2,199, it's not cheap, but if you're the kind of person who travels with a foam roller and a grudge against hotel gyms, this might be your thing.

🤖 Your robot maid is almost ready

Figure AI ↗

Figure just dropped a video of their Helix 02 robot tidying a living room, completely on its own. No remote control, no human in the loop, just a humanoid robot walking around picking things up and putting them away.

Yes, it’s staged and mostly unrealistic, but the gap between “cool robot video” and “this is actually happening” keeps getting smaller.

🎵 Not a podcast, somehow better

Friends Keep Secrets: The Ed Sheeran Episode ↗

This is technically a YouTube show and not a podcast, which mostly seems like an excuse to make something looser, warmer, and a bit more watchable than the usual two-guys-and-mics setup.

I’m a big fan of the casual chat style they’ve nailed, and I came away from this episode with a ton of respect for Ed Sheeran’s musical chops.

💻 It’s okay if you do it in private

SlapMac ↗

SlapMac is a $7 menu bar app that makes your MacBook react when you slap it. Exactly the way you’re thinking, too. Or just fart sounds if you want.

The harder you hit it, the louder and more dramatic it gets, which is already hilarious enough before you learn there’s a mode called USB Moaner for people who want their laptop to get weird every time they plug something in.

(Hell yeah, I bought it.)

🫧 One more thing (clock)

PCBWay on Instagram ↗

This pneumatic clock uses a silicone membrane to create soft, physical numbers, which is already cooler than most things pretending to be futuristic right now.

It looks less like a normal display and more like someone taught air pressure how to tell time. Not just "here is a screen," but "here is a screen made out of pressure and weird material science."

👋

Like the fact that Mike’s Golf Shop will buy the old golf clubs you have sitting in the garage:

Anyway, onto this month's internet loot 👇

🎙️ Now the robots can’t hear you

Deveillance Spectre I ↗

This product has a great mission: whether there’s a phone, laptop, or smart speaker in your vicinity, this thing will scramble its ability to record your voice. It’s a pocket-sized gadget that claims to create a two-metre anti-mic zone around you by cancelling out sound waves.

🕯️ Beats refilling a diffuser

SwitchBot Candle Warmer ↗

I initially bought this as a way to automate candles (yes, yes, don’t judge me) and avoid open flames in the house (no flame, no smoke, no ‘did I leave that on?’ anxiety), but it’s quickly become a better version of an essential oil diffuser. Being able to control the heat lets you dial in the scent, and after over a month of daily use it’s barely used up the first 10% of a large candle.

💨 Blow or suck away your problems

HOTO Compressed Air Capsule ↗

I’ve been a longtime fan of HOTO products, and this cordless mini blower + vacuum is great for cleaning your car, desk, workbench, or anywhere else you make a mess. It’s like a USB-C rechargeable compressed air can mixed with a super-powerful hand vacuum. Highly recommend.

🧱 When 3D printing feels like LEGO

GRIPS for Gridfinity ↗ • Tooltrace ↗

Gridfinity is a modular, 3D-printed storage system for people who have no life enjoy being super organized. And GRIPS solves the annoying baseplate size limit by splitting big plates into snap-together pieces.

Bonus: Tooltrace can generate custom inserts from a photo of your tool on top of a piece of paper, which is a massive time-saver.

If you own a 3D printer, this rabbit hole is worth it.

🌙 Dream out loud

Dream Recorder ↗

This bedside gadget lets you mumble your dream when you wake up and watch it come to life as a fuzzy low-fi video clip. Less productivity machine, more tiny surreal nightstand artifact.

🕰️ You need a better screensaver

Bauhaus Clock ↗

Finally a screensaver worth using, because it’s actually useful (and beautiful). Bauhaus Clock for macOS resembles a mechanical watch face and has absurdly cool details; worthy of you putting your face right up to the screen. It has multiple colours, light/dark mode, and options for movement sweep, too.

🤖 The AI that actually does things

OpenClaw ↗

This self-hosted AI assistant has taken the world by storm because it actually does things for you, almost entirely via texting. So far I’ve spun up a few agents: Casper helped me source images and build out the shell of this newsletter issue (don’t worry, this is still me writing this), and Mr. Potato is now our personal chef/shopper who finds and stores recipes, checks the calendar, syncs with the grocery list, plans meals, orders groceries, and schedules delivery. Wild times!

🔓 No more paywalls

Remove Paywalls (Chrome) ↗

Exactly what it says on the label: click once and it will remove the paywall barrier on sites when you try to view that one article a friend sent from a subscription-only site. Super useful.

🪙 Change for a knife

COiN by Tiniest Gear (Kickstarter) ↗

A knife the size of a quarter. It folds up into a coin that conceals the tiny blade, along with a bottle opener, keyring slot, and optional Damascus steel.

👋

Part of me wishes Jeff Probst would have been more unfiltered each episode, but thankfully we have AI for that:

More on that account if you enjoyed that as much as I did.

🫑 The dirty truth about compost

FoodCycler Eco 3 ↗

I switched to this as a compost solution a few months ago and I’m never going back. Why? Because it don’t stank: it turns your gross, slimy food compost into dry dirt. Dirt that you can use in your plants, if you want. It superheats and blends it with the same quality of blades you’d find in a Vitamix (because it’s the same parent company). I went for the small size (Eco 3), but I’d say if you’re in a family of more than two people then go for the larger size (Eco 5).

It’s super easy to use, too. Just fill up the bucket, drop it in, and hit one button to start a cycle. In my experience, you don’t smell anything at all while it’s running thanks to a hopper of carbon pellets at the back.

🏇 Saddle up, robots are coming

Kawasaki CORLEO ↗

What’s better than bipedal robots? Quadrupedal robots, obviously. At least that’s what Kawasaki is assuming we all want: to scare the shit out of anyone we encounter, chasing them down at 80km/h on your horse-bot. Sign me up!

🤌 The touchy future of VR

Skin-attached haptic patch ↗

Check out the video at the link above. It’s a pretty cool idea as a way to bring physical sensations to virtual worlds. Touch something in VR and you’ll feel it on your hand, like the specific texture of an object.

📱 No more dumb travel SIM cards

Saily ↗

Before I used this, tracking down a mobile phone store with cheap SIM cards would be the first thing I’d do in a new country.

But Saily is so much easier. Not only can you set it up before leaving for your trip, it’s all done with eSIM, no physical SIM card needed.

It couldn’t be any easier (or cheaper) to spin up a temporary data plan while you’re out of country.

🍽️ I’m a Tupperware shill now

Prep Naturals glass containers ↗

After a good stretch of successful meal prep, the one thing that became clear was how bad most containers are. Thankfully I came across these ones on Amazon, and they’re totally worth it. The size is perfect for one meal portion, too.

🏔️ A mountain of fun

Sledding Game ↗

I love the spirit of this one-man indie game effort. It has a pudgy frog-like character and a host of friends, and the only goal is to have a blast sledding down a mountain.

🧊 Cool your jets, or your cans

YETI Colster ↗

Nothing says chill like an overpriced, branded koozie, and I’m totally okay with that. Highly recommend the hand feel of the YETI Colster for your next beverage.

Bambu Lab A1 3D Printer ↗

I finally caved and bought a 3D printer. It’s incredible, still very new to me, and I’m enjoying the creativity that comes with making physical objects.

I went for the Bambu Lab A1 based on all the great reviews I’d seen, and the fact that it sits near the entry-level end of the spectrum. There’s also the A1 Mini if you’re in the market for a smaller form factor. Overall though, Bambu Lab really nails the turn-key user experience compared to the more hobbyist printers that came before it.

Now excuse me while I go print a Playstacean.

👋

Anyway, now that you’re up to speed, here’s some cool stuff:

👖 Virtual try-ons that actually work

Doji ↗

This is a great use of AI avatars. In this case, you’re generating one of your own self, and then putting it to work to try on clothes for you. The results are pretty impressive: check out all the examples here.

🧺 Get it done in one

LG WashCombo ↗

I’d heard of all-in-one washer/dryers before, but ever since we had a traditional machine break and were forced to replace our setup, I’m super happy we went with one machine instead of two.

It’s just massively convenient to toss in some laundry and have the machine handle the detergent dispensing, washing and drying, and then just ping your phone with a notification when it’s done. Highly recommend if you’re ever in the market for a new setup.

🔋 Best bedside charger

HiRise 3 Deluxe ↗

I’ve been using this as a charging station for a little while now and have really liked how clean the 3-in-1 design feels. It almost makes it look like your phone is floating above the base.

The built-in back pad can charge another phone or headphones, and then there’s also a proper Apple Watch charger that can flip up or lay flat.

📦 Deliveries in under 15 minutes

Pipedream Labs ↗

This company is building a really cool idea: using existing pipe systems (like the ones for water mains) they can install cost-effective tunnels for their small robots to deliver anything from groceries to small packages in record time.

There are versions for mid-range 15 minute deliveries, but also ones that facilitate 15 second order pickups of groceries or food when you drive up to a store.

Check out the videos in this thread linked above.

🕯️ Stop buying lighters

RONXS Electric Lighter ↗

Except this one. Because then it’s the last one you need! You get USB-C recharging and as a bonus, it feels like you’re using a tiny cattle prod to light candles or startle people around the house.

🍎 Run any old Mac in the browser

Infinite Mac ↗

This is such a cool nostalgia trip. Pretty much any older version of macOS can be run right in the browser with full emulation.

You can do things like run Photoshop 3.0 on OS 8.0, just to see how far we’ve come.

🔫 Watch this show

The Day of the Jackal ↗

Easily my favourite show of the last year, so far.

I’d say it sits somewhere between a Bond film and The Night Manager (also a fantastic show if you never watched it).

Mosquito’s Paradise ↗

See ya next time 👋

🕹️ The game is a-butt

CLAPPY CHEEKS!! ↗

Where did this issue name come from, you might be wondering? Well, if you haven’t already seen the undisputed Cheekiest Interview of the Century, you’re in for a treat.

I thought I would go ahead and immortalize that moment in history by creating a totally non-derivative, entirely original web game with AI. If you haven’t already guessed, it’s called CLAPPY CHEEKS!! and you can play it right now, if you want. And if you hate losing, try entering a famous cheat code.

The challenge I gave myself: create as little art as possible, and rely on AI for everything else. I only created three small images, a few audio files, and the rest was built by prompting AI agents with Cursor.

🗄️ Archives are live

In other fun news, all the previous issues of Fwd:Fwd:Fwd: have been added to Substack, and you can browse them here if you missed one along the way.

And now for the rest of this issue 👇

📦 The safest box cutter

CANARY Box Cutter ↗

If you open a lot of packages, this one’s for you. It’s a small (they offer other sizes, too) spring-loaded retractable opener that won’t cut skin, can saw through cardboard, and will safely open packages without cutting into the products inside.

🏃‍♂️ Vacuums are coming for you

Roborock Saros Z70 ↗
Dreame X50 Ultra ↗

Now that I’m becoming a vacuum-fluencer I thought I’d let you know that robot vacuums now have both arms and legs, meaning they will stop at nothing to clean your house chase you down.

💨 AI smokes real video’s lunch

The Drill by The Dor Brothers ↗

AI video is on the uptick and this music video from The Dor Brothers doesn’t disappoint. Aside from this obviously fake one, they are collaborating with artists like The Game to help them make AI music videos for real-ish.

🔌 Best travel cables

Baseus Retractable USB-C cables ↗

I’m in constant pursuit of simplifying my travel gear, and these retractable cables have been a huge win of late. They snap stop at various points, allowing you to customize the length with each use. Throw in a few USB-C to Lightning adapters for legacy Apple hardware and you now have a single-cable solution.

🤖 GPTARS

GPTARS on Instagram ↗

This hardware-meets-AI project is one of my favourites. It’s a tiny disgruntled semi-autonomous TARS robot, powered by ChatGPT, acting out various scenarios and walking around at the same time.

😎 Waltin Goggins Goggle Glasses

Goggins Goggles ↗

If you're looking for a sexy pair of shades that move with you as you dance to the rhythm of life, this is it. I’ll admit, I kind of want a set just because it’s a hilarious name and random idea for him to do.

🛻 EVs need truck nuts too

Electric Truck Nuts ↗

I thought I’d end on a serious note.

I know it only seems like yesterday that an issue graced your inbox, except there was a pandemic, a move, love, death, robots, and a few trips in my life since I last hurled a list of links in your general direction.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the show. We’re on Substack now!

And now for this month’s links:

💭 ChatGPT’s new voice mode has many uses

ChatGPT Advanced Voice ↗

If you’ve been following any of the AI stuff these days, you’ll know that voice is the new kid on the block, and OpenAI’s latest version of voice for ChatGPT is one of the best out there.

So good in fact, that people are coming up with hilarious uses like faking a conversation with a store that they are out of stock of something your kid doesn’t really need.

Other fun fact: OpenAI just bought chat.com for what was likely north of $20M. It’s one of the oldest and most expensive domain names on the ‘net.

🧹 The best cleaning is no cleaning

Roborock Qrevo Pro ↗

I recently dove into the world of robot vacuums and it’s an absolute game changer.

I’d suggest that if you invest, to get one that has both mopping and vacuuming, and some sort of auto-empty and auto-clean functionality. Otherwise it’s just creating more work for yourself.

This Qrevo Pro model from Roborock does all those without being a top-of-the-line model, so it felt like a good entry point. They also have one of the better app experiences and play nice with my Home Assistant smart home setup.

📱 Translucent is back and here to stay

Classic C1 case ↗

I love that brands are dipping back into the old-school translucent aesthetic. These cases riff off the look of the iMac G3 to simulate internal components. I went for the blue variant and have been happy with the quality for the price, so far.

🗺️ Scouting some new EV competition

Scout Motors ↗

I didn’t know about this brand before, but it’s cool that there’s a legacy to pull from with this reboot of the retro brand Scout Motors. It’s been brought back to life by the VW group, and the styling definitely looks like a lovechild of the Ford Bronco and Rivian vehicles, in a good way. Expected release is 2027–28.

🎧 Best buds (for gaming)

Sony INZONE Buds ↗

Two things I have always hated about over-ear headphones, despite their quality: (1) how quickly your ears overheat and (2) the way it clamps your head in a painful way if you wear glasses. Both are solved with this pair of buds from Sony. Super lightweight, great noise cancellation, and low latency wireless with a USB dongle that makes them perfect for gaming. Highly recommend.

🔍 Feel like a magician, on the cheap

How to use NFC tags ↗

NFC tags are inexpensive little stickers that you can attach to objects or places in your house so that when you tap them with your phone, they’ll run custom actions. It’s similar tech like when you tap to pay at the store, in this case using the Shortcuts app on your iPhone to do whatever you want.

Here’s a few examples that I’ve been using:

• Tap a light switch panel in a room to set a specific lighting scene (tag is hidden behind the panel)

• Tap a coffee table to instantly AirPlay what’s on my phone to the TV (tag is hidden under the table)

• Tap on a cabinet door to add detergent to the grocery list when we run out

🧠 Severance is back soon

Severance Season 2 ↗

If you haven’t already watched Season One, go check it out! Such a cool concept for a show.

Season Two is coming out on January 17, and I can’t wait.

💨 Steam is your friend

Dupray NEAT Steam Cleaner ↗

Nothing says fun like cracking a bottle of wine and steaming up your place, and this thing doesn’t disappoint.

It’s been great for floors, windows, appliances (think BBQ or oven), sanitizing upholstery or beds, or just doing a deep clean in the bathroom. It’s fairly lightweight and holds enough steam to get you through a large area before you need to refill it.

All the attachments are easy to clean and you can wash the fabric pads and covers in the washing machine, which is nice.

🛎️ Graduate, minus the degree

Graduate Hotels ↗

On a recent trip to the UK, we stayed in the Graduate Hotel in Oxford. It takes that old school collegiate feel and blends it with really unique interior design in a way I hadn’t seen before.

What I didn’t know is that it’s part of a network of hotels, each one with an entirely unique look, albeit within the same overall theme. Most of them are in the US, but there are two at Oxford and Cambridge in the UK as well. As you probably guessed, they are all located near universities and colleges.

They were previously independent but recently acquired by Hilton. There’s a cool book that documents all their interiors, too.

Flashback: Buying a Computer in 1994 ↗

A DSLR-quality webcam with style

Opal C1

If the Opal C1 lives up to the hype of its landing page (when it launches), it might have a real shot at dethroning the king of webcams, the Logitech BRIO. The design is definitely a nod to Dieter Rams and Yves Béhar products, and I like it.

Open link ↗

In the future, we will all eat squares

SquarEat

This company has developed what are essentially human food pellets, condensing things like meat, vegetables, rice, and more into bite-sized blocks. They even have grill marks on the meat, so you know it’s legit.

Open link ↗

Photo IDs are coming to smartphones

Twitter / Walt Mossberg

That’s it, that’s the tweet.

(In case you didn’t already know.)

Open link ↗

F1 on Apple TV

Github / Noah Fetz

It may not be perfect, but this unofficial F1TV tvOS app is as close as you’ll get until F1 launches the real thing. It definitely beats other screen sharing options for watching the races, and you can also create split views using all the live feeds.

Open link ↗

Future Zoom meetings

Horizon Workrooms

I can’t wait for traditional video calls to be replaced with something like this. With VR/AR you gain physical presence alongside a pass-through view of your real computer, all within a shared virtual space that adapts to the number of participants. For a more in-depth look, watch this.

Open link ↗

Upgrade your Spotlight experience

Raycast

This is easily my favourite macOS utility right now. It replaces Spotlight and improves upon every feature, and then some. Whether it’s the faster file search, custom shortcuts, or natural language input, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what Raycast can do.

Open link ↗

Put your Apple Watch on display

NightWatch

Even though I’ve been happy with my existing Watch dock, I’m tempted to switch over to this one, if only for the improved readability when you’re half asleep.

Open link ↗

Advertising magic

Twitter / Vladimir Haltakov

Maybe a lot of people already knew this, but I had no idea that the sideline ads at soccer/football matches were dynamically replaced to be unique for each live broadcast feed. It’s some pretty impressive tech behind the scenes.

Open link ↗

Subscription sanity

Bobby

To date, this app is the easiest way I’ve found to keep track of subscriptions. You can set individual billing cycles, reminders, and even use different currencies. It’s nice to get an overview of how much you’re actually spending every week/month/year.

Open link ↗

☑️ Start new job

Superlist

I’m excited to kick off the next chapter of my career: as of this week, I have officially joined the design team at Superlist.

Open link ↗

Inspiration: pointerpointer.com ↗

VHS nostalgia

Youtube / 4096

This animation is so smooth that it’s worth watching for that alone, even if you don’t remember all the amazing blank VHS tape designs of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Bonus: an entire vault of VHS tape art.

Open link ↗

Time for a rip, bud

Moonbikes

These look insanely fun. I have such fond memories of attempting death-defying stunts with a NOMA GT SnoRacer as a kid, and this is basically the adult version with an electric motor.

Open link ↗

Upgrade your notes

Craft Notes

Craft has become my favourite notes app, primarily because it takes advantage of native features across macOS, iPadOS, and iOS. More than that, linking notes together and grouping content within each note feels easier than with other tools.

Open link ↗

Demented toys

Obvious Plant

These toys from Obvious Plant are a harsh but hilarious look at everyday life. Even though they’re sold out, be sure to check out the full selection at the link.

Open link ↗

True Mac gaming

Twitter / Neil Sardesai

I really enjoy Neil Sardesai’s tweets for all the funny Mac UI concepts and jokes, and this pong experiment is just one of many gems on there.

Open link ↗

Magic charging

Humanscale NeatCharge

This wireless charger from Humanscale mounts underneath desks up to 1.18” thick, meaning it can charge your devices without taking up extra desk space. I'm excited for this technology to become more and more invisible—hopefully fully wireless power takes over at some point.

Open link ↗

We could all use a bit more supervision

EyeCam

The Eyecam is an autonomous, blinking upgrade to your boring black webcam. It reacts to external stimuli, like the presence of a human, leaving you to wonder if it’s truly watching you—possibly enough to keep you off those websites.

Open link ↗

Automate your computer backups

Backblaze

Backblaze is my go-to choice for its ease of use. It runs in the background and uploads only new/changed files to its secure cloud storage. Plus, it’s arguably safer having your backups offsite as a precaution against a break-in, fire, or natural disaster.

Open link ↗

Are you a fan?

Only-Fans

If you don’t get why this is funny, that’s probably a good thing. Keep scrolling.

Open link ↗

Scan your LEGO bricks and build new things

Brickit

I wish I had this as a kid: this app scans your pile/bin of LEGO, identifies bricks, suggests new things to build, and then generates instructions. It’ll also point out specific bricks as you go. What’s amazing is that it’s not even an official LEGO app (yet).

Open link ↗

Inspiration: itneverhitsthecorner.com ↗

Play Mario Kart right in your living room

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

The kit combines a small Mario R/C car with a series of foldable smart gates to project a mixed-reality game on your floor. Create any track you want, in any room of your home—even your own Rainbow Road. Then drive it using your Nintendo Switch as the controller, complete with a live cockpit view from the car.

Open link ↗

Your hand is your new wallet, ticket, and ID

Amazon One

At least that’s what Amazon is hoping for with its new palm recognition technology. They plan to roll it out soon at their Amazon Go stores, but expect to see this popping up in other retailers, stadiums, and office buildings once they license it out.

Open link ↗

Birds would be much better with arms

@curlykidlife

Sometimes it’s nice to take a dream and make it real. Now I wish birds actually did have arms.

Open link ↗

Micro size, mega fun

Sega Game Gear Micro

The original Sega Game Gear is one of my all-time favourite video game systems. And now you can play Sonic in the palm of your hand with the Game Gear Micro. They even released the same Big Window accessory as the original, so you can actually attempt to see what’s on the screen while you play.

Open link ↗

Copy and paste the real world using AR

ClipDrop

This is pretty unreal—you can scan and extract an image of a real life object, then paste it into your computer like magic. It’s definitely one of the more practical applications I’ve seen for augmented reality technology.

Open link ↗

How rich is Jeff Bezos? All of it.

One Pixel Wealth

Keep scrolling to the right on this website (it goes on for a while) and you’ll get a great visualization of exactly how wealthy Jeff Bezos is compared to the rest of the world.

Open link ↗

Kevin James is your friendly sound guy

YouTube / Kevin James

Check out this hilarious YouTube playlist by Kevin James where he inserts himself as the sound guy on classic movie sets. Two of my favourites are “Will Smith Got Mad At Me” and “Ryan Gosling Won't Give Me A Soundcheck.”

Open link ↗

This famous designer turned out to be an AI

Nikolay Ironov

Can AI be truly creative? Apparently, yes. Art Lebedev Studio has successfully created an AI designer named Nikolay Ironov. He’s been working at their studio in Moscow for over a year, or at least that’s what clients thought.

Open link ↗

Act like your shit don’t stink, for real

Sneak a Squeak

I have no idea if this is real or fake, but either way, hilarious.

Open link ↗

I don’t have a house, but I want this ladder

Murphy Ladder

It’s always nice to see brands have a bit of fun with an otherwise insanely boring product. To be fair though, this actually does look like a massive improvement over traditional ladders.

Open link ↗

Inspiration for the new masthead comes from this fun website.

Anyway, now that we’re all in lockdown, I thought a new issue of the newsletter might help lighten the mood. Scroll on for some fresh links.

If a baguette could move, how do you think it would move?

With everything else going on, it’s always nice to take a step back and consider the truly important questions of our universe.

Maybe a gallop ↗

Check yourself out before the next video call

Rafael Conde • Hand Mirror app

I’ve been using this one a lot lately. It opens a pop-down view of your webcam, allowing you to do a quick ‘do I look stupid’ check before you join your daily work video calls. Mac-only, unfortunately.

Check It Out ↗

Delete Mac apps without making a mess

FreeMacSoft • AppCleaner

This is a great tool for properly uninstalling apps on your Mac. While dumping an unwanted app in the Trash is (mostly) fine, it still leaves a lot of unwanted clutter on your system.

AppCleaner has a great feature called SmartDelete, allowing you to maintain your move-to-Trash habit while automatically trashing any related files at the same time.

Check It Out ↗

Automate your workouts

Fitbod

The Fitbod app has quickly become my go-to choice for home workouts. (But it works just as well at the gym, too.) You can enter the specific equipment you have on hand—or none, for bodyweight-only plans—and it will automatically generate workouts for you.

Even better, it tracks the muscle groups you’re hitting with each workout and offers video instructions for each exercise; a nice bonus when you’re trying new moves for the first time.

Check it out ↗

Back to the good old days of LEGO

LEGO • Pirates of Barracuda Bay

Never have I been more tempted to dive back into LEGO than with this new (old) set.

They are reviving the classic sets, like the ‘Pirates of Barracuda Bay’ (originally released in 1989), seemingly targeted at nostalgic adults instead of kids.

Check It Out ↗

A great GIFt idea

Infinite Objects

The team at Infinite Objects believes that moving images should be appreciated the same way posters, prints, and photographs have been for centuries—not just trapped on your camera roll, YouTube, or on GIPHY.

That’s why they created an intentionally non-updateable display, or what they’re calling a ‘video print.’ The seven-inch frames can hold up to 24 hours of video playing in a perpetual loop like a GIF. There’s a curated store with their own prints, or you can upload/select your own with their online configuration tool.

More on this ↗

Potato chip spy tricks

MIT NEWS • Extracting audio from visual information

Researchers from MIT, Microsoft, and Adobe have figured out a way to reconstruct audio using the vibrations of objects in a video feed. The algorithm can even recover speech from the vibrations on a bag of potato chips, photographed from 15 feet away through soundproof glass.

They also had success with aluminum foil, a glass of water, and the leaves of a plant. Coming soon to a James Bond movie near you.

More on this ↗

Keep the family updated on your work status

Twitter • @cairn4

This is a fun project: Steve Forde was looking for a solution to share his working/not working status with the rest of his family, especially now in quarantine.

The result is a simple picture frame that is controlled remotely over the Internet to indicate his status upstairs, while he’s in his office downstairs.

More on this ↗

Show off your whip in style

Designboom • Supercar Capsule

Like your own private luxury showroom, Supercar Capsules offer a completely one-of-a-kind garage for your luxury vehicles. The company works with owners to create a solution that fits their vehicle and their house, using top-quality materials, elevators, and rotation systems, along with any custom manufacturing and installation.

More on this ↗

From designer concept to official Mattel UNO deck

Bless This Stuff • Uno Minimalista

Designer Warleson Oliveira created a minimalist version of UNO, posted it online, and it got so much traction that Mattel decided to make it for real.

The ‘Minimalista’ edition features an all-black look for the rear face, paired with vibrant colours on the front, as well as streamlined logos, symbols, and numerals.

More on this ↗

When are we getting delivery drones?

YouTube • Wingcopter

UPS has started working with German startup Wingcopter to develop a new type of delivery drone with a range of up to 75 miles and speeds as high as 150 miles per hour, so it seems like we’re edging closer to this reality.

I for one can’t wait for a drone to ditch a package right on our balcony, if only to feel like we’re finally living in a sci-fi movie.

Have a look ↗

When stuntmen get bored…

Twitter • @RexChapman

They make fun videos.

Have a look ↗

Why is every COVID ad the same?

YouTube • Every Covid 19 Commercial is Exactly the Same

They’ll say we're living in “uncertain times,” but that “we’re here for you.” And that their top priority is “people” and “families” with services available in the “comfort and safety of your home.” Last but not least, that “we're all in this together.” Barf.

Have a look ↗

#LifeCommentary

Twitter • @nickheathsport

If you’re in need of a pick-me-up, look no further than the #LifeCommentary series from sports commentator Nick Heath.

Like so many others, Nick suddenly found himself without a venue for his vocal talents, so now he’s narrating everyday scenes from his London neighbourhood with all the excitement he'd bring to a rugby match.

Have a look ↗

Retro arcade fonts are super impressive

YouTube • The 8-bit arcade font, deconstructed

Vox does a great job covering the amazing variation designers were able to achieve within the 8-bit typographic grids of retro video games.

Have a look ↗

Combat Juggling

Professional juggle fights are about to make a big return, according to the comments on this video.

Who else thinks this should be in the Olympics? I’d tune in for 1v1 combat juggling over speed skating any day.

Catch the fever ↗

Face/On

FaceIDMasks • Custom N95 prints

Fresh off the global virus craze, this company is offering N95 respiratory masks printed to match your face. Apparently, this allows you do a facial recognition unlock on your phone without having to remove your mask.

Modern solutions to modern problems.

More On This ↗

The Mandalorian reinvented film production

TechCrunch • Enter the Volume

This one blew my mind. Like most people, I binged The Mandalorian shortly after it was released on Disney+. Here’s the cool part, though: instead of green screens or front-projected video, their team used massive digital displays that covered the walls and ceiling of the stage. This allowed actors and objects in the foreground to be real, but everything else to be virtual.

The indoor and outdoor environments are all 3D-rendered in real time while being synchronized with camera motion, thanks to a robust video game engine and one hell of a computer setup. And because of that, you can do fun video-game things like move a mountain around for better composition. The screens are also bright enough to light actors in a natural way, reducing the need for visual effects in post.

More On This ↗

Sweaty tech

The Verge • Robots learn to sweat

Robots are becoming more like humans every day, but this is one feature I could do without. Just like us meatbags, robots can now sweat to prevent overheating.

What I want to know is, who’s going to be the first to create robot deodorant?

More On This ↗

⭐️️️️️⭐️️️️️⭐️️️️️⭐️️️️️⭐️️️️ Would do again

Amazon Dating • Hot singles near you

Amazon is getting into the dating game with yet another delivery service. Now you can order a date with both free one-day delivery and free returns.

I like how you can filter by height and read reviews before you buy. Trust Amazon to think of the small details like that.

More On This ↗

Return of the ‘Roos

NY times • Dunkaroos Are Back

I can’t stress how important this is for 2020 and beyond. The absolute top-tier lunch snack is returning from the grave, thanks to Betty Crocker.

More On This ↗

My mechanical revolution

OlKB • Planck EZ keyboard

This ortholinear mechanical keyboard has drastically changed my workflow for the better. Less-used keys and functions are moved into ‘layers,’ accessed by the raise and lower modifier keys flanking the space bar. You can also move or change any key, keycap, switch, and RGB light to suit your use case.

My favourite part is that instead of contorting my hands into weird yoga poses just to execute keyboard shortcuts, now I can have multiple keys mapped to one. It’s a noticeable difference after a full day at work.

Check it out ↗

This tumbler makes drinks taste better

Glassblower Ben • Classic Medium Dombey Glass

There’s nothing worse than drinking a quality whisky in a completely average glass. It ruins the whole experience.

These one-of-a-kind tumblers are handblown in Ben’s New Orleans studio, and they’re about twice the weight of anything you’d find in stores. It just feels good to have a drink out of this glass.

Check it out ↗

Access your computer from anywhere

Edovia • Screens for Mac

This is my favourite remote access tool, now that Back to My Mac has been killed off. It replicates the same functionality (and more) and it has a great mobile app.

It’s also the smoothest and most performant of the remote tools I’ve tried, but it comes at a price: $30. That said, the number of times I’ve had a need to remotely access files or queue up a completely legal download have made it all worth it.

Check it out ↗

The Rundown

Remote computer access

The lingo

VNC — Virtual Network Computing. It’s the standard tech protocol behind remote access that transmits the keyboard, mouse, and screen updates over a network connection.

SSH — Secure Shell. You’ll see this mentioned as a way of securing your remote connections and file transfers. It’s best to always use this option when available.

The gist

Even though it seems all fancy pants to remotely access your computer, it’s really not. You can use it for simple file transfers, controlling your computer from your phone, or even helping someone out with remote tech support.

There used to be a simple version in macOS called Back to My Mac, but, for some reason, Apple killed that off. Check out the two options above and below this section for my favourite alternatives: Screens ↑ (premium) or Chrome Remote Desktop ↓ (free).

Chrome away from home

Google • Chrome Remote Desktop

This is the best free option I’ve found for remote control of your computer. It’s made by Google themselves, so you know you can (mostly) trust it.

Just add the extension to Chrome and then create profiles for your computers. There’s also an Android and iOS app for mobile access. It definitely isn’t as smooth or full-featured as Screens (above), though.

Check it out ↗

Every Seinfeld episode had a completely unique theme song

YouTube • Jonathan Wolff on E! News

This is pretty cool. Jonathan Wolff, the composer behind the iconic Seinfeld theme song, describes how it came to be. I had no idea it was custom to each episode, paced around the timing of Jerry’s monologue. But it totally makes sense.

Have a look ↗

Praise HBO

YouTube • The Righteous Gemstones trailer

If you missed out on The Righteous Gemstones, I highly recommend giving it a shot. It follows a famous yet dysfunctional family of televangelists and boasts and all-star comedic cast. John Goodman plays the unholy father, while Danny McBride, Edi Patterson, and Adam Devine are his children.

Have a look ↗

Fresh to death

YouTube • The Moldy Whopper

Burger King definitely got the media's attention with their new Whopper campaign, but I can’t say it’s done much for my appetite.

Have a look ↗

Nextworld

YouTube • Westworld Season 3 Trailer

Another top-notch TV show. If you’re behind, there are two amazing seasons of HBO’s Westworld to catch up on before the third season drops on March 15.

Fun fact: the composer is the same as on Game of Thrones. The score takes modern day songs and plays them through an old-school saloon piano.

Have a look ↗

An Audi for every moment

YouTube • Marc Lichte on the four Audi concept cars

Audi recently debuted four new concept cars as part of its AI: family. They envision a sort of Uber-meets-car2go future where you can book a car for every type of adventure—from city to slopes—and choose whether you want to drive, or, let the car do it for you.

My favourite of the bunch is the AI:TRAIL SUV, mainly because it has a pair of drones that light up the path ahead. That’s an instant win in my books.

Have a look ↗

Moonmoons

Astronomers have calculated that it's possible for moons to have their own moons. While they haven't confirmed one exists just yet, they are already debating what to name them. My vote goes to moonitos or Goodnight MoonMoon.

Moons have moons, too ↗

Touchy screen

Marc Teyssier • Mobilimb

A researcher in France has developed a new, more intimate touch interface.

It enables your smartphone to crawl across a desk, caress your hand when someone sends a loving message, or use its limb to prop up the screen while you’re binging YouTube.

I’m honestly surprised that Mattel hasn’t snapped up this tech. It seems perfectly suited for a new-age pinky war game.

More On This ↗

Colourful computing

#docubyte • A guide to computing

This photo series is an homage to the early days of computing, pairing old terminals with pristine colour backdrops.

A large format print seems like the best way to appreciate all the details; thankfully, the artist offers them for sale.

More On This ↗

Automatically delete your Google activity

Google • My Account

Data privacy is all the rage these days—that’s why this setting is so important for your Google account. It allows you to limit the amount of time Google can store your tracking data, while still allowing you to enjoy the benefits of tracking. Namely, better recommendations, search results, helpful map locations, and more.

Follow the instructions at the link and select “Keep for 3 months then delete automatically” within Web & App Activity, Location History, and YouTube History.

More On This ↗

This 3D-printed shape blocks almost all sound

Fast Company • Metamaterial

A Boston University team has discovered a mathematical form that, when 3D-printed, silences incoming sound by 94%. Apparently, it’s equally as effective when printed as a ring, a cube, a hexagon, or a variety of other shapes.

Each print could be used as a tile or brick to build a noise-cancelling, permeable wall (think cubicles), or it could be placed inside an MRI tube or HVAC vent, or even under the propellers of a drone. The possibilities are endless.

More On This ↗

Your new guard dog drone

Sunflower Labs • Home Awareness System

The Sunflower system is the autonomous solution to external property security. It uses a combination of smart garden lights (Sunflowers) dotted around your property, a charging station (Hive), and a drone (Bee) to monitor activity—no humans necessary. When motion is detected, the Bee launches out of its Hive to patrol your entire property and provide a live video feed to your smartphone.

More On This ↗

This might make you brush

quip • Electric Toothbrush

After using the Quip for over a year, I can confidently say it’s my favourite electric toothbrush. Here’s why:

1. It’s super slim and lightweight.

2. It’s powered by one AAA (go eco and use a rechargeable)—that means no bulky charger or cables.

3. The travel cover doubles as a suction holder to keep it attached to your mirror.

4. The toothbrush and its replacement heads are cheaper than competitors (and the automatic refills have no shipping fees).

5. It looks good.

Get a $5 refill credit with the code:
9RZS8RNL ↗

Check It Out ↗

Charge in style

Belkin • BOOST↑UP charging stand

If I’m going to put a charging stand out on display, it definitely has to look good. It also needs to support at least 10W (more on that below). This stand allows you to charge in portrait or landscape, and it sits at the perfect angle for an iOS Face ID unlock. I promise you that once you ditch cable charging, you'll never go back.

Check it out ↗

The Rundown

Wireless charging

The lingo

Qi — Pronounced CHEE, from the Chinese word for ‘energy flow.’ It’s the most popular standard for wireless charging, kind of like Wi-Fi is to wireless networking.

Watts — The only spec you really need to focus on. More watts equals faster charging. 15W is the max you’ll see right now, but 10W is plenty, given iPhones top out at 7.5W (likely to increase in the future), and most Android phones top out at 10W.

The gist

If you bought a new phone within the last few years, chances are it supports wireless charging. And because most chargers runs on the Qi standard, they’ll work with any phone you have.

When you're shopping, go for a 10W Qi charger and look for device compatibility to see if it’s been tuned for your phone, which never hurts. They start around $25, and go all the way up to $150+. Be sure to buy one that comes with an AC wall adapter, otherwise you'll need to buy that too.

Best watts for your buck

RAVPower • Fast Wireless Charger

I bought a similar version of this budget pad for my desk at work; it’s a great low-cost alternative. Like I mention above, make sure to buy chargers that come with a wall adapter. It’s easy to get fooled by cheaper options that only have a USB cable, but they won’t charge at full speed (branded as Quick Charge, Fast Charge, or USB-PD) without a proper adapter.

Check it out ↗

Automatic online order tracking

Shopify • Arrive app

This app is a godsend for keeping tabs on all your online shipments. Rather than scouring through emails for tracking links, Shopify’s Arrive app will monitor your inbox for you.

It automatically labels and imports your shipments into an easy-to-read list, then it will send you push notifications for status updates. It’s available for iOS and Android, so what are you waiting for?

Check it out ↗

Sony made a working electric car

Sony • Vision-S Prototype

Every year at CES, car manufacturers love to turn up with mostly-plastic, futuristic prototype vehicles. Sony figured they could do one better, and they’re right. They surprised everyone with a fully-functional electric car.

Unfortunately the VISION-S is just a prototype, meaning it won’t be coming to market any time soon. Its main purpose, though, is to showcase Sony’s 33 sensors for autonomous driving, along with camera systems, and a range of interior entertainment tech.

Maybe it’s just me, but a Sony-branded car actually sounds pretty cool.

Have a look ↗

Single malt Tide PODS®

YouTube • The Glenlivet Capsule Collection

Scotch is a real pain in the ass to drink. First you have to find the bottle on your shelf, extend your arm grab it, pop the cork, find a glass, pour it out, recork the bottle, and finally take a sip.

Well, no more! Now all you have to do is chomp down on a pod.

Have a look ↗

Welcome to Futureworld

Designboom • Toyota Woven City

To showcase their vision of the future, Toyota is partnering with Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) architects to build an entire city at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. Really. Construction begins in 2021 and it will support 2,000 residents, including Toyota employees, retirees, families, and retailers.

The city will act as a living laboratory for everything from autonomous cars, to smart homes, to artificial intelligence, and more. They’re calling it a ‘woven’ city because it will include an organic grid pattern of three distinct types of streets: self-driving mobility pods, lower-speed electric scooters or bicycles, and pedestrians. Then there’s a whole underground network for autonomous vehicles as well.

Oh, and if Bjarke Ingels sounds familiar, it’s because his group also created the new Vancouver House building here in town.

Have a look ↗

The first manned SpaceX mission

YouTube • Crew Dragon

SpaceX is bringing humans to space, and a lot sooner than you probably thought. In the first quarter of this year, they’ll be blasting a crew up to the ISS on the Dragon. Exciting times for space nerds!

Have a look ↗

Bet you can’t find Waldo this fast

YouTube • There’s Waldo

I’ve yet to see an application of machine learning and computer vision that has true, valuable impact on the human race… until now.

Have a look ↗

Happy clicking, and don't forget that you can now pee freely in public in Paris.

Stretch Armstrong laces

Xpand laces may sound gimmicky, but hear me out: I've put them on my sneakers and gym trainers, and I can't imagine switching back. Not only are they now faster to take on and off, but the elasticity in the laces makes them more comfortable, too.

Depending on how you lace them, they can even distribute tension to the right part of your foot for that shoe or use case. They also come in a range of colours.

Get some ↗

How to not get hacked

If you're still creating short, easy-to-remember passwords, or the same password for multiple accounts… stop it. It's like leaving your door wide open, with a fresh steak on the table and all your money on the floor.

You need a password manager like 1Password. One master password secures all your others inside an encrypted vault, and you use that vault to auto-fill web forms. Even your identities, cards, and passports can go in the there—a huge win if you ever lose your wallet.

Lock it down ↗

Tread weirdly

Shapeshifting wheels are here. For the military, at least. Darpa has created wheels that can switch from round to triangle shapes on the fly to better handle various terrain.

This opens up a lot of possibilities, like wheels with treads that change for different weather conditions (wet vs. dry). That's the more likely trickle-down effect on consumer vehicles.

Watch the video ↗

Oddjob cheaters

We all had the suspicion, but now the original developers of GoldenEye 007 have confirmed it: playing as Oddjob was totally cheating. His hitbox was smaller (duh) and the auto-aim would always pull your shots high over his head.

Glad to have that settled. (Although I wish I knew it back in 1998.) Read the full story to get some interesting background on the game that defined an era of first person shooters.

Read on ↗

More like 20,000 G's

I don't even own a car, but if I did… and I was also looking to buy a submarine… this would be at the top of my list. Aston Martin and Triton are creating Project Neptune, the "ultra-exclusive, strictly limited edition submersible that will redefine luxury and performance for a select few."

Check it out ↗

Armchair Expert

I'm a big fan of the new podcast Armchair Expert by Dax Shepard. He's really come a long way since Punk'd.

The guests are mostly his celebrity friends—like Seth Rogen, Katie Couric, Mila Kunis, or Ashton Kutcher—but what's got me hooked are the interesting personal stories he's able to extract. They go far deeper than any TV talk show interview.

Have a listen ↗

I already hate Mars tourists

There's nothing worse than selfie-obsessed tourists. Put them on a new planet? Same shit, different gravity.

Photographer Julient Mauve does an awesome job giving us a preview of what the Instagram feeds of the first Mars visitors could look like in his series Greetings From Mars.

Check it out ↗

Be kind and drink up

Remember Blockbuster? I can still smell the fresh popcorn of video stores from the '90s. Nothing will every compare to browsing aisles, discovering a new movie, only to find out some douche rented it five minutes before you arrived.

The dream is still alive in Bend, Oregon. The last remaining Blockbuster in the world is still operational, and they just teamed up with a local brewery to create a custom Blockbuster beer. Almost worth the trip.

It's a real thing ↗

Toy envy

"For kids" seems like a suggestion here, because I am seriously tempted to buy these wooden cars for myself.

Candylab Toys has created some real stunners with their series of wooden cars. SUVs with surfboards, woodies, airstream trailers, classic cop cars, hot rods… you name it.

Check them out ↗

Silly goose

It's a lovely morning in the village, and you are a horrible goose. Need I say more?

Watch the trailer ↗

Love it? Hate it? Let me know with a reply to this email.

Also, Jeff Goldblum has a statue now.

Droneography

There's some really beautiful photography out of this year's Drone Awards. That's a thing now, though I'm not at all surprised; the results are pretty spectacular.

View from above ↗

Meet George Jetson

For this first one, I'm diving into eVTOL. Or electric vertical takeoff and landing. It's the technology behind a wave of vehicles coming our way in the not-so-distant future—flying, battery-powered, one-to-six-person taxis and personal aircraft.

They'll be docked on the rooftops of every building downtown, along the waterfront, and some people will have a landing pad in their driveway or backyard. A set of propellers will articulate to allow for both vertical takeoff and horizontal flight, or anything in between. Think of them as a supersized version of the small aerial drones we have right now. Initially they'll be piloted by humans, and shortly after, fully autonomous.

Not convinced? Larry Page (one of the Google founders) has invested in a stable of companies (Zee, Kitty Hawk, Opener) working toward this future, in the hopes one will come out on top.

Cora video ↗

Blackfly video ↗

Flyer video ↗

Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce have also thrown their hats in the ring with some promising designs.

Aston Martin video ↗

Rolls-Royce video ↗

Airbus has been working on concepts that combine flying with driving. And they just partnered with Audi to take it to the next level. Now, with the help of the German government, they'll be running tests for the flying taxi around Audi's home city of Ingolstadt.

Airbus-Audi video ↗

Then there's the aviation startup from Germany called Volocopter. It's backed by Intel, so you can assume it has shared some autonomous driving technology with their team.

Volocopter video ↗

Last but not least, Uber has announced plans for ride sharing in the sky. What's different here though is they won't be making aircraft themselves, and instead are partnering with industry veterans like Bell Helicopter, Embraer, and Pipistrel.

Uber video ↗

Three Days of the Condor

Another surprise TV show hit for me lately has been Condor.

Based on a movie and a book from the '70s (any Robert Redford fans out there?), it stars Jeremy Irons' son, Max Irons. It also packs one of the creepiest, yet best performances I've ever seen from Brendan Fraser.

The first season is about to wrap, and it's already been renewed for a second.

Get on the trailer ↗

Plus, find your most compatible match with Hinge.

CIMON says… die?

Talk about reality imitating science fiction: IBM, the German space agency (DLR), and Airbus partnered up to send the first floating AI into space. As of July 2^nd, CIMON (Crew Interactive MObile companioN) is floating around the ISS, chatting to humans and helping them complete science experiments. If the movies are correct, there's about a 50% chance it will murder everyone on board.

Check it out ↗

Clap off!

CIMON not your type? Maybe Big Clapper is more your speed. For the low, low price of ALMOST $6,000 (!) you too can have a creepy-looking clapping companion in your house. It's a cheerful, spherical robot that "induces applause" with its gigantic rubber hands. Oh, and it talks, too.

Kickstart it ↗

Blades of dorky

Segway is back! Those rolling two-wheel scooter things are still around, but now they have a new product: the Drift W1. It's as though they removed the handlebars, cut the board in half, and thought, 'Hey! We can sell this.' The video is what really sells it, though.

Watch the promo ↗

Lasagna wings with extra Italy

You might have heard of machine learning. It's a subset of artificial intelligence where a bot is able to find patterns in large data sets and 'learn' from experience. In this case, that data was over 1,000 hours of Olive Garden TV commercial scripts. Then it was asked to write its own, original script. The result is this hilariously weird restaurant ad.

Bonus: you can try this out with your own content here.

Read the script ↗

Double utility

These are two of my favourite Mac utilities. Vanilla slims down your menu bar, and Rocket gives you Slack-style emoji in any app.

They're both free to download and use, but like any indie software, if you like it, it's good karma to pay for the Pro version. (They cost less than your venti Mocha Frappucino.)

Get Vanilla ↗

Get Rocket ↗

Following the dream

Just when you thought the influencer trend couldn't get any worse, now they are pissing off hotels, too. Some popular destination spots receive upwards of 20 requests per day for free, week-long stays. As payment, the self-proclaimed influencers offer to post a couple of photos for their 2,000 followers. It's at the point where hotels have official forms and processes for approving requests (requiring a sort of business plan proposal), and other hotels are taking a stand by banning social media personalities altogether.

Button goals ↗

Don't get caught in your underwear

Answering the door is so 2017. That's why Cainiao (part of the Alibaba Group) developed a new way for you to receive packages while you're dancing around in your underwear playing VR games.

Deliveries get dropped into a secure locker just outside your door. It's both expandable and temperature controlled (very cool), and can be unlocked using facial recognition.

Watch the video ↗

NYC in mind-blowing 12K

4K not enough pixels for you? Well, if you're like the team behind this video, your next step is to purchase three $80,000 RED 8K resolution cameras. Then, rent a helicopter, strap the cameras to the nose, and fly over New York City.

Watch the video ↗

Cartier destroys their own watches

Over the last two years, Richemont—the Swiss parent company of brands like Cartier, Piaget, IWC, and Vacheron Constantin—has destroyed nearly €500m of their own unsold watches. Apparently, it's to avoid them being sold at discount prices or on the grey market. Whoever it was that made that call must have the perfect evil laugh.

Read the article ↗

Make your old lock jealous

Tapplock is great because it shakes up yet another boring industry: padlocks. Those stupid things haven't changed in years. Now you can open your lock in seconds with just the tap of a finger. Or, if your hands aren't working, morse code button presses.

Better yet, they are just about to release Tapplock Lite (pictured above), which makes huge strides to slim things down from their first model.

Read more ↗

The fast and the fabulous

Have you ever wondered what those kiddie cars would be like with a real engine instead of a plastic one? No? Well watch this fun video anyway.

Watch the video ↗

Sniffable wheels are on the horizon

Goodyear has created a new prototype wheel that will help purify city air. Moisture from the road gets trapped inside the airless, 3D-printed tires that channel it to the moss inside the wheel. I assume it also comes with tiny robots to weed the moss, too, because nobody has time for that.

Watch the video ↗

Atari is back from the grave

Yes, you read that correctly. A new Atari is coming soon, and you can pre-order it on May 30.

Pricing hasn't been revealed, but it'll likely set you back about USD$300. Why so expensive? Because unlike the recent spree of retro-only consoles, the Atari VCS will be capable of playing modern games in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. Not to worry though, it still comes with Atari Vault, giving you access to more than 100 classic games.

Check it out ↗

Alternate reality television

Counterpart is, so far, amazing. I'm a few episodes in to the first season, and I can already see why it's been rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

For any of you who watched Fringe, you'll feel right at home with the concept here.

Watch the trailer ↗

China has heaps of bikes

Piles upon piles of barely-used bicycles are just sitting around in fields. It's both sad and mesmerizing to see the waste.

Bike-share companies have exploded in popularity in China (and around the world) these past few years. And like any good service, humans have screwed it up by leaving the bikes all around town, forcing cities to impound and store them somewhere. Like these fields.

View the photos ↗

Jelly Mario is the best Mario

Another fun example of what you can do in the browser these days. Someone re-created Mario, complete with jelly-like physics.

Play the game ↗

Faster Internet, please

DNS is the lifeblood of the Internet. It's the directory that tells your browser that somewebsite-dot-com actually points to a bunch of numbers, like a phone number for a server (aka, an IP address).

But, not all DNS is alike, specifically in terms of speed and security. 1.1.1.1 is a new, free, fast, and secure way to improve your Internet right now. It takes less than three minutes to set up, and the steps are pretty easy to follow.

Learn how ↗

The computer is fluid

Sure, aluminum and glass computers are great and all, but what's next?

Water. MIT has developed a pretty slick concept showing how computers in the future might coexist with the physical world around us.

Watch the video ↗

Speaking of pizza, can you think of someone who would enjoy this newsletter? If you forward on this issue, I'll send a virtual high five in your direction.

TV OBSESSIONS

Westworld Season Two trailer

If you haven't seen the 'world yet, now's your chance to binge-watch Season One. Then watch this new trailer for Season Two.

• Westworld Season 2 | Official Trailer | HBO (YouTube, 02:40 watch)

FUTURE TRAILER PARK

Move your trailer like a champ

The Trailer Valet RVR is a tiny tank-looking robot the size of an R/C car that will help you park a trailer (like an Airstream) weighing up to 9,000 POUNDS. Crazy.

Plus, you'll look really cool and confident while you do it, like the guy in this video.

• Trailer Valet RVR Official Video (YouTube, 01:07 watch)

MASTER OF ALL

The secret codes Netflix doesn't want you to know

(They don't care if you know.) This long list of URL codes filters Netflix titles by hyper-specific genres like Werewolf Horror Movies or Spy Action & Adventure. Shockingly, there are other movie genres beyond Romantic Comedy.

• All-New Secret Netflix Codes Reveal Hidden Movies And TV Shows (MTL Blog, 04:00 read)

MORE THAN A HOLE

The Boring company gets less boring

Elon Musk recently announced they've decided to shift the focus of The Boring Company. The initial plan: to drastically reduce traffic congestion with a system of tunnels and high-speed electric car skates.

Now, they'll be prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists over cars. After all personalized mass transit needs are met, then they'll integrate cars.

Even less boring: they recently sold out of their flamethrowers. The next fundraising tool will be to sell LEGO-like bricks (made from the leftover tunnel rock) that can be used to create sculptures and buildings.

• New public transit Boring plan (Twitter, 00:30 read + 00:26 watch)
• The Boring Company | Tunnels (YouTube, 01:09 watch)
• Elon Musk has sold all his flamethrowers (The Verge, 02:00 read)
• Life-size Boring LEGO bricks (Twitter, 00:30 read)

NICE C-PILLAR BRO

In the future, cars won't need speakers

Continental, the German auto parts company, recently unveiled a new technology called Ac2ated Sound. It uses sonic vibrations in the surfaces of the interior, a lot like a violin. What it means is that cars in the future may not need speakers. And if you listen closely, you can hear the engineers high-fiving over the name.

• High End Car Hi-Fi without speakers with Ac2ated by Continental (YouTube, 01:02 watch)

4 X 100 YEARS

The only workout inspiration you'll ever need

If a yardstick for personal fitness exists, it's these people. Specifically, Orville Rogers and Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins, who each set new world records in the 60m dash this month. The crazy part? Both of them are over 100 years old.

• Julia Hawkins world record (Twitter, 00:45 watch)
• Orville Rogers world record (Twitter, 00:26 watch)

RED STAPLER DIARIES

Soulless corporations can be hilarious

Corporate on Comedy Central was a surprise hit for me. The first season just wrapped after a 10-episode run, and a second season is already in the works.

• Corporate (YouTube, 02:32 watch)

BOOK RECO

Artemis

If you enjoyed The Martian by Andy Weir (or the movie adaptation starring Matt Damon), his second book Artemis is a great read, too. The story takes place in the late 2080s and is set in Artemis, the first and only city on the moon.

• Artemis (Amazon)

CAN'T WAIT

Take a flight inside the taxi of the future

Bell recently posted a 360º video of what a flight inside their air taxi will look like. Ground taxis never looked so stupid!

• Bell Air Taxi Concept Flight (Vimeo, 02:00 watch)
• Bell Innovation: Air Taxi (Bell)

A BIT OF A STRETCH

Watch this HomePod ad

HomePod is a somewhat a boring product. It's a Siri-powered smart speaker, albeit a great sounding one. But we all know Siri has some catching up to do compared to Google's Assistant and Amazon's Alexa.

That said, the ad Apple and Spike Jonze created for HomePod is anything but boring. It's reminds me of his Kenzo perfume ad, in a good way.

• HomePod — Welcome Home by Spike Jonze — Apple (YouTube, 04:01 watch)

GET LESS LIT

Dumb phones will save us all

How can we become less attached to our smartphones? It's an important question, with no clear answer. You could turn off the red notification dots. Or turn on greyscale mode. Neither option is a perfect fix.

The original Light Phone was a big hit for this reason. It allowed you leave your smartphone at home and take a 'dumb' phone out with you instead. You could make calls (using your phone number) and store nine other numbers. Pretty refreshing.

Now they are making a Light Phone 2, this time a bit less dumb. It pushes beyond the limits of the original, but not by much. You'll be able to send basic text messages, set an alarm, or even hail a ride… but no apps.

The only bummer is that it's not available until April 2019. So, if you're the impatient type, check out the new Nokia 8110 (a.k.a. the Matrix phone) that was re-released last month.

• Light Phone 2 (Indiegogo, 07:00 read + 01:47 watch)
• Nokia’s banana phone from The Matrix is back (The Verge, 00:45 read + 03:46 watch)
• How Tiny Red Dots Took Over Your Life (NY Times, 07:00 read)
• Is the Answer to Phone Addiction a Worse Phone? (NY Times, 03:00 read)

YEAH, ANOTHER DRONE THING

Blast drones out of the sky like Duck Hunt

While it may look like something from a sci-fi movie, the DroneGun Tactical is very much real. The idea is simple: point it at a drone—like the one your annoying neighbour's kid got for Christmas—and pull the trigger. A special jamming frequency gets blasted through the air to kill it in its tracks.

This new, lighter version of the gun (the old one had a huge backpack) weighs only 15 pounds and has a range of up to 1 km. Fun!

And if guns aren't your thing, there's always eagles.

• DroneGun Tactical (DroneShield)
• So, Dutch Cops Are Teaching Majestic Eagles to Hunt Drones
(WIRED, 01:15 read + 02:42 watch)
• DroneGun Video June 2017 (YouTube, 00:49 watch)

THIS MIGHT BE HELL

Doom is even more terrifying with Tim Allen

Remember Doom? The classic '90s shooter game? How about Home Improvement? YouTuber and evil genius Marisa Kirisame combined the two. Everything in Doom is now Tim Allen's signature grunt.

Enjoy.

• AEUHHH???? (YouTube, 05:10 watch)

DATA BLUES

Facebook isn't listening to your mic, but they are tracking your data

Is Facebook listening to you through your microphone to target ads? Short answer, no.

But we've all been there. When you see the same ads follow you across websites, Facebook, and Instagram, it's a bit spooky. Instead of voice recordings, they scrape your online activity and physical purchase data. Still not great. Watch this video to learn about some simple device settings that will limit Facebook's influence.

• Facebook Really Is Spying on You, Just Not Through Your Phone’s Mic (The Wall Street Journal, 03:45 watch)

IT REALLY WHIPS THE LLAMA'S ASS

Winamp is back from the grave

Nerd alert! The best MP3 player software from 1998 has been rebuilt in HTML5 for the modern browser. I can already hear the 56K modem booting up in the background. (If you're feeling nostalgic, you can listen to that and other sounds from the '90s here.)

Fun fact: the first thing I ever 'designed' on a computer was a Winamp skin. Give it a download here and load it into the web player to see how cool it never was.

• Winamp 2 JS (GitHub)
• Museum of Endangered Sounds

BUY LOCAL

Opendesk is changing how we buy furniture

Furniture shopping sucks. More so if you get lost in IKEA. That's why Opendesk is so refreshing. Instead of a storefront, they pair you with a local company to make your furniture.

They have a wide range of designs, all made using digital fabrication. (Meaning: shapes cut from wooden sheets by computer-controlled CNC machines.) Once you select a design, they send over digital specs and work with your local maker to complete the build.

I tried this recently when I bought my new desk, and I can't recommend it enough. What's even better: they can adjust the sizing of most pieces to suit your space. So in my case, I went with the smallest size of their Studio Desk.

• Opendesk

P.S.

The Canadian Air Force bombed Miami

Don't worry, it was only a raft. How do we know it was the RCAF? Because the soldiers came by later that day to pick up the raft and apologize.

50 Cent is not a Bitcoin millionaire

Despite TMZ's intrepid journalism, and 50's public confirmation, he didn't make millions on Bitcoin. The guy just likes favourable press.

This is the hardest game ever

Watch the video at the link for what the creator describes as "the most hardest, irritating, frustrating game EVER." And if you want to torture yourself, give it a try here.

Do they swear a goddamn lot in Suits?

You're goddamn right they do. Specifically, 459 counts of goddamn and 460 counts of bullshit.

Welcome to the future; voice-controlled smart toilets have arrived. Bonus feature: a hidden, auto-extending phallic bidet.

Hope you enjoy it, friend.

ONE MOP SHORT OF A CLOSET

It's 2018 and people are still stupid

Case in point: the guy who tried to break into a truck… with a mop.

It happened at a radio station in Seattle. They acted fast, getting their sports announcer to give an audio play-by-play. Genius.

• Vandal surveillance footage (Twitter, 01:56 watch)

CARDBOARD FUTURE

Nintendo's cardboard wizardry is a game-changer

The Nintendo Switch is, for most people, a surprise hit. To keep that momentum, they added an interesting feature: cardboard.

Nintendo Labo cardboard kits assemble to create tiny robots, a piano, fishing pole, and even a wearable robot backpack. Then, to bring them to life, all you have to add is your Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons (controllers).

If I was nine years old again, this would blow my mind.

• First Look at Nintendo Labo (YouTube, 02:52 watch)
• Nintendo Labo (Nintendo)

ROBOGREETER

Walmart would like you to stop kicking their robots, please

We live in a funny time. Robots are now part of our society, whether we like it or not. So that begs the question, how do we integrate them in a way that isn't terrifying?

The towering, eight-foot-tall robots Walmart uses to track inventory are a great idea. They save humans from scanning every item in the store by hand.

But how will customers react to a monolith rolling toward them in the cereal aisle? The answer is, generally, not very well. So the designers tried to create a friendly-looking, eight-foot-tall robot.

Problem solved?

• Please Do Not Assault the Towering Robot That Roams Walmart (WIRED, 05:00 read + 03:04 watch)

POV MVP

Voxels will change the way we experience video

Imagine you're watching a movie, when, in the middle of a scene, the camera zooms in to show the main actor's point of view. Cool. But, what if that point-of-view camera was never there?

That's what Intel has created with their Voxel technology. It's like those 360º camera rigs, merged with super-advanced software. Voxels—the name Intel gives to 3D video pixels—allow the viewer to go inside the 3D space of a scene, from any angle.

That means you could choose the perspective of your favourite character in a show. Or with sports, the announcer can show a replay from the perspective of an individual player. Crazy!

• Intel's CES 2018 event in 15 minutes (YouTube, 15:05 watch)
• Intel teams up with Paramount Pictures to explore VR films (VentureBeat, 01:00 read)

BURGER 101

Order a burger, learn about the Internet

It's amazing how angry people get when they have to wait for a burger. That's what Burger King did to some of its customers, and it's hilarious.

It's also one of the simplest explanations I've seen for Net Neutrality. Not an easy feat when your audience just wants their damn sandwich.

• Whopper Neutrality (YouTube, 02:50 watch)

HOLY SHEET

The best life hack you'll ever learn

Not a true 'life hack,' per se, but I'll bet good money that most of you don't know how to fold a fitted bed sheet.

I know I didn't. That was until I watched the sweetest video in the world, shot in Teresa's living room.

Thank you, Teresa.

• How to Fold a Fitted Sheet Perfectly Every Time! (YouTube, 02:41 watch)

THE FUTURE IS OWNERLESS

Subscribe to your next car like a streaming service

I may never own a car. Instead, I'll subscribe to it. That's the goal, at least, of the new services that fill the gap between car sharing and car leasing.

Ford has Canvas. Porsche has Passport. Cadillac has BOOK. Volvo has Care. They all have the same thing in common: they're reinventing traditional car ownership.

Unlike a lease, subscriptions work on a month-to-month contract. That means you can switch cars during the year, if you're the indecisive type. You also get insurance, tire and wheel wear, roadside help, and authorized service, all in one price. They'll even deliver the car right to your front door, fully-detailed and filled with gas.

The main difference from a lease? You never own the car and can't sell it at the end of your term. I see it like the big boy upgrade from car2go.

• You Will No Longer Lease a Car. You Will Subscribe to It. (Slate, 06:00 read)

DESKTOP DREAMING

Stop using that default Mac wallpaper

Unsplash Wallpapers is the best way I've found to keep my desktop from getting stale. It's awesome and it's free, like all their photos.

On the daily, it will download a new, kick-ass image from Unsplash and set it as your wallpaper. Nothing more, nothing less.

• Unsplash Wallpapers (Mac App Store)