Hi all 👋, this week while writing I finished season 2 of both X-Men '97 and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, realized that Game Informer came back and no one told me, started getting into a new hobby (it's MTG and oh boy do I have a lot to learn), and spent some time attempting to fact-check this thread about the McLaren Technology Centre (which is impressive in its own right, but nowhere near the claims made in the thread).w
A chill week in the keyboard community, but more back-to-school sales are ramping up with Nuphy, KBDFans, RoyalKludge, and MechanicalKeyboards.com announcing ongoing sales!
Lets dive into the week!
clicks 🔗
Courtesy of chattjb.org
→ AI this, AI that… everything nowadays is littered with AI features, LLM buzzwords, and promises of infinite productivity/capability by way of instant machine responses. Tucker Bryant is taking a slightly different approach to point out the absurdity of today's tech landscape — enter ChatTJB. Named after himself, the half art project, half real-working chat interface is a website that looks no different than your usual chatbot interface. However, all queries go directly to Tucker, who methodically and intentionally responds to each one — “answered through a proprietary biological reasoning substrate, delivering responses that are fully interpretable, non-synthetic, and accountable at the source.” After a marketing stunt/reel gone viral, the project exploded, and understandably so, Tucker couldn't respond to everything anymore. So, it's becoming a public community project — anyone can sign up to be an AI (Average Individual) and answer any queries that come through the website. As the sign up page says, it's a good way to add some levity to this crazy AI-induced hype affecting everyone and everything right now.
Courtesy of snailos.org
→ The small but mighty X4 e-reader is getting another huge overhaul with the help of Snail OS from designer/developer Joey D. Smith. This custom firmware is a complete rework of the X4 device and utilizes it in ways I didn't even think possible. You're still able to use it to read epub files, but it also adds a bunch of apps and tools like a clock, weather, calendar, web browser, and even a few games. With all this, the device and OS still feels light, responsive, and capable of doing more — that's where my favourite part comes into play, the dev documentation. Snail OS is built to enable devs, or anyone willing, to create their own apps that would work well on an e-ink device, and the website is loaded with knowledge and information necessary to do just that. I've been running it on my X4 for a few days now, and it's re-sparked an interest in it, allowed me to tinker even more, all while still letting me read my books.
clacks 🔗
Courtesy of wiredinstore.com
→ One of my favourite keyboard storefronts, Wired In, known for an amazing selection of cables and a few exclusive boards, just launched an in-stock hall-effect version of one of their first keyboards — The Protagonist. Described as the culmination of their “neo-industrial brutalist aesthetic”, the board is visually stunning and I love how the negative space and crisp edges create a sharp look. It's not just a looker, however, all the traditional HE features are here thanks to the Venom PCB, it offers two mounting styles straight out of the box, and maintains a reasonable price point of $190 with a fully aluminum body. All-in-all I'm very impressed — my hunt for an HE board has been ongoing for quite some time, and this one just jumped to the top of my list.
Courtesy of omnitype.com
→ X-Ray caps were a huge hit from Mod Musings and Omnitype (you may remember them from WAY back in Issue #1), and now their dark, brooding, and mysterious brother has arrived. The Thermal set uses the same layering technique from X-Ray which envelops each key in a translucent top to give the whole set a 3D, almost floating, appearance. Inspired by thermal imaging and the colourful readings achieved with heat signature detection tech, the set comes with an entire row of muted blues, reds, and greens to contrast the other dark keys. It's nice to see this layering technique being used more, I do however wish this style was possible with PBT plastic, which would increase the longevity and usability of the caps for me.
That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed it, and now it’s time to hear from YOU 🫵. I want to know your opinion—what you liked, what you loved, what you didn’t like, what you skipped. Email [email protected] (or reply to this issue!) and have a great weekend!!
