JAN.31.2026 - #56

Hi all 👋, this week while writing clicks 'n clacks I've been playing Indiana Jones and The Great Circle and researching the best mini DAC/AMP combos for my growing earbud collection. I've narrowed it down to the tried and true Qudelix 5k or newer options from Fiio for those interested. Following along with the hype, multiple name changes, and endless swarm of security issues from the new open-source AI assistant Clawd/Molt/whats-it-ma-thingy Bot has been an exciting roller-coaster (to watch not ride). And a previous feature here (Monocle from #13) got a minor but exciting update for Raycast users like myself.

In the keeb-sphere, I was in the right time at the right place to watch Alexotos' stream on a super-budget board called the Eave65, I'm pumped to see Work Louder's new key sets and deskmats, and I enjoyed reading about PBS's slimmer profile sibling, PFF.

Here we go!

→ First up is an enlightening piece by Henry (from online) on reclaiming the fun of the internet. Inspired by this and his other works, I yearn to write in this kind of realm, where I can share and experiment—not for any algorithm, not for the clout, not for content for content's-sake, but for true connection. Henry presents an interesting thesis from technology philosopher and social critic Ivan Illich here—radical monopolization. This is when technologies, past and present, reach a tipping point where users must succumb to the use of these trends or risk being excluded. To avoid this, careful attention should be placed on creating convivial tools that help sustain “The Web” as a place where we can learn and grow. This goes hand-in-hand with many sentiments I have shared here time and time again—handmade, open-source, interoperable, accessible, available, etc., etc., etc. A great example of this happened within the lifetime of this newsletter, when Posts.cv shuttered—the website died and users flocked in many directions, but many managed to stay connected with the help of convivial tools like Bluesky, Mastodon, personal websites, and RSS. We need less monolithic platforms to get back to creating, failing, iterating, teaching, and learning; all on the open web.

→ Speaking of monolithic media, Threads has been steadily growing in user numbers and activity since its launch. I post on most platforms in an attempt to increase the surface area of how my ramblings can be seen, but the most puzzling by far is Threads. Disclaimer, I hate that it's owned by Meta and don't understand or enjoy the algorithmic nature of it. However, their attempts at federation are a step in the right direction (I hope they do more with it), and I've had a number of positive interactions and moments of discovery on it already, so I do find it useful. To help with my confusion and hesitance surrounding posting, Bobbin by fellow Torontonian Jeffrey Li has proved itself a fantastic tool. It uses a gamified but not annoying streak system (kind of like Duolingo) to encourage you to post, participate, and engage every day. I'm not looking to min-max the system, and I certainly don't want to become a full-time Threader (is that the right term?). Even so, it's helping me write and share more often, and I've gained a grasp on Threads' inner-workings and how to reach an audience of people who are interested in what I'm sharing.

→ One year it's vinyls, one year it's CDs, the next it's cassettes. A wheel is going round and round of who's on top of the resurgence charts, so let's hope you didn't throw out all those shiny disks. Enter the concentric-design 2-in-1 player from MIXX to ensure you're the one on top of the trends. It's one of the first multisystem players I have seen that doesn't rock a 1950s console stereo style (which is certainly a vibe too). In terms of specs, it's not on the high-end, featuring an AT3600L cartridge, which in my opinion is fine for entry-level and casual vinyl listening—I have an AT91 which is quite similar and performs admirably. I'm big on physical media, but mostly missed out on the CD collecting days (my only CD-style collections now are 4K Blu-Ray movies), otherwise this would be a serious consideration for me.

→ Inspired by Hyundai’s N Vision 74 concept car, the NV70 by Keybay is a super stylish board that manages to keep prices low while maintaining premium build quality and a plethora of configurations. You can kit out an NV70 for around $160 USD, which places it firmly into the mid-tier range in my opinion. It's quite hard to find something of the same calibre and flexibility at this price point, and with all the extra parts, it's a solid deal. The stand-out feature for me however, has to be the layout—the PCB can optionally support a hybrid TKL build with the right arrow cluster transforming into a numpad. Looks so good it makes you go WAH.

→ The second version of this popular screw tray from Deadline Studio comes loaded with some nifty new features—more colourways, new connected base, and optional magnetization. The last addition is a bit random but one that I am particularly fond of, and that is the transformation of one of the screw holders into an incense slot. This makes the desk accessory much more versatile when it's not actively being used for screw collection/handling during a keeb build. I am also particularly drawn to the translucent colour option, but it seems as though many others were as well, as that was the first variant that went out of stock. Here's to hoping they can come back soon 🤞.

→ Here are some super fun deskpads to add some…odd…vibes to your setup and raise some eyebrows. Featuring turf (resembling faux-grass), water (with some vicious whitecaps on display), cement (like your keyboard belongs on the sidewalk), and my fave, paper (identical to all that extra brown packaging in your Amazon box). All these humorous options come in the standard 900mm x 400mm size and are sold by CannonKeys, with limited stock of each variant.

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!!