Hi all 👋. Heads up for the upcoming issue of c 'n c—I'll be taking some time off from writing next weekend as I'll be visiting Montreal to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix 🏎️. But, it will be back to the regularly scheduled programming after that.
This week while writing clicks 'n clacks I've been reading about swapping out doomscolling for comic books, adding Mixtape to my video game backlog while simultaneously making my own, and trialing the long-awaited Raycast 2.0.
In the land of clacks, I've been hoping keyboards aren't soon becoming relics while reading dueling opinions on “voice typing”, debating picking up the now in-stock GMK Mictlán caps, and installing new HMX Snowfall switches on my Eave65.
Let's explore all the new finds for this week!
clicks 🔗
Courtesy of hodinkee.com
→ Making waves in the watch community this week is an exclusive drop from Audemars Piguet and Swatch. The Royal Pop—one part nod to the “Royal Oak” Audemars product line and one-part POP revival—is a colourful, hand-wound pocket watch that comes in eight vibrant styles. The collab, which is only available in select Swatch stores starting today (the 15th), has generated a ton of buzz on my feeds. Long time collectors are worried it will dilute the AP brand and reduce demand for other Royal Oak products, but others are happy to see a more accessible (and fun) piece bring new enthusiasts into the world of horology. I'm in the latter camp and convinced this can only be a good thing, as long as production and plenty of inventory can keep resellers and scalpers at bay. AP is also donating 100% of the profit made from this collab to “fund a dedicated initiative supporting the preservation and transmission of watchmaking savoir-faire, with a focus on rare skills and the next generation of horological talent”—super cool.
Courtesy of Color Snap on play.google.com
→ Colours are all around us—hues, tones, shades, pigments—the whole world is a wonderful palette! This next feature turns everyday objects and the world around you into a fun, colourful scavenger hunt. Color Snap by Adam Molina started off as a web application, evolved into an Android app, and even has an iOS version coming soon! It's simple—each day you're presented with a random colour, you take a picture of anything that matches that colour, and then earn points based on a pixel-analysis of the HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) of your photo! I've tried it out on my Android tablet, snapping pics directly on the device, but you can upload any past photos via the app or website as well.
Courtesy of mechanical-pencil.com
→ What do a Zippo lighter, PEZ dispenser, and mechanical pencil all have in common? They all click! In some way, shape, or form, these products have famous looking (or sounding) mechanisms that give them their iconic sound and feel. Mechanical engineer Bryan Macomber has created this website to share highly detailed, illustrated tear downs of household items. Each entry, like the newly added retractable pen, is an interactive experience that walks you through each of the mechanisms and teaches you the secrets behind these moving parts. Highly recommend you check out the website and Instagram to learn more and see some wicked cross-sections.
clacks 🔗
Courtesy of oneofzero.net
→ ONEofZERO is a keyboard-focused online storefront that sells a variety of gaming and productivity devices from big brands including Nuphy, Keychron, Wooting, Ducky, and more. I discovered them during a recent trip to the new KeyBay store and found they had a sample of ONEofZERO's own keyboard, which they created in partnership with Keychron. This prompted me to do a little more research on them, only to be delighted to see they offer solid shipping rates, warranties, and fulfillment for many overseas brands! Their new collection Design Syndrome, created in collab with the graphic designer of the same name, caught my eye and the BLEED red and white keycap set from it has shot its way to the top of my wishlist.
Courtesy of @archetype_mk on threads.com
→ An artisan keycap display, Chronos by Archetype, is returning for a 4th round of pre-orders to present, protect, and preserve your keycap collection. 5 new colourways in this round bring the total number of variants up to 14. Plenty to choose from. Now, I know the price for this piece—$190 USD—seems outrageously expensive for a display case, but as soon as you start using premium materials like copper, brass, and aluminum, these prices become quite the norm. It's why (for now) I'm sticking with 3D printed alternatives like this one from Marmech, and the Chronos can stay on the “endgame” list for a while longer.
Courtesy of klava.space
→ Straying from the realm of physical keyboards this week, I've found a new digi-board for iOS (and soon Android) called Klava. It takes inspiration from later iterations of the Blackberry keyboard, including the flick up motion to select word predictions and swiping left to delete words. It even has a custom Blackberry theme to match! For the autocomplete suggestions, it intelligently learns your vocabulary and most used words from your typing patterns—all private and on-device. A few more advanced features, like creating your own swipe shortcuts, are available for only $0.99 and individual themes are an additional $0.99 each. Although, the iOS6 themed “Skeuo” is free and is by far my favourite.
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!!
