SEP.06.2025 - #39

Hi all 👋, welcome back to clicks 'n clacks! It has been a wild week settling back into routine after unwinding and unplugging, but I am glad to be back. This week, I've been reading Aftermath's piece on Diablo devs unionizing which covers a lot more than just the union formation—I highly, highly recommend this read. I was surprised, but not too surprised, over Atlassian acquiring The Browser Company (I can see why it's a smart move but this feels like final nail in the coffin for Arc-lovers and Dia-haters). And after what feels like forever, Instagram finally has an iPad app (but it drops you right into Reels on the homepage, eww). In local news, I am excited and saddened hearing that the Honda Indy is moving away from the Exhibition Place in Toronto to the Markham campus of York University—great venue, but now wishing I attended the last Toronto circuit.

In keeb news, Nuphy is going strong with their back-to-school sale, previous feature Voyager has a brand-new trackball attachment (wallet is begging me not to), and a Keeb Life Community meetup is occurring right now in LA!

I would say buckle up, but I know y'all are ready for this week's features, so let's get into it!

clicks 🔗

Small but mighty stand

→ Narrow Hill Design founder Ben Morel-Allen reached out to me a while ago to tell me about his newest product, the Tazetta—a wonderfully unique desktop monitor stand. I was over the moon to hear about his journey in starting Narrow Hill and launching their first product. Now, launch day has finally arrived—until October’s end, you can pre-order the Tazetta with a special offer of 30% off (40% for Narrow Hill email subscribers). That means the list price of £160 in the UK (£133 in the rest of the world) is discounted as low as £79.80! There are many options out there when it comes to monitor stands, but the Tazetta distinguishes itself as a simple, elegant, and timeless piece to add to any setup. By far my favourite elements of the Tazetta (and its site/creation) are the environmental commitments (like reliably sourced European oak and recycled packaging materials) and all the pricing transparency information included on the product page. I rarely see this kind of information on online products and it's a very nice touch. Even if you're not in the market for a monitor stand, I'd check out the Narrow Hill website and Instagram to read a bit more about Ben and the Tazetta.

Go with the (notch)flow

→ Next up is a meticulously-designed, skeuomorphic app to enhance the notch on your MacBook. Notchflow by Radoslav and Ben lets you control your streamed music, time focus sessions, take productive breaks, and even has built-in sounds and music. Designed to subtly aid and not distract, Notchflow lives at the top of your screen and only displays relevant information as needed. I've been trying it out on the free 7-day trial and it's convinced me to purchase a lifetime licence (which is only $20)—or you can pay $3 a month for it if that floats your boat.

Going analog

→ This newest addition to Ugmonk's productivity line-up is selling out quick! The Card Bar is a solid aluminum desk tray that can store note-cards and writing utensils—it comes in two sizes (10”/16”) and two colours (silver/black). The tray is specifically designed for Ugmonk's Analog collection, which is a paper note-taking and tasking system, but I love that this new product feels like it could live independently without relying on the specific Analog cards. For those wanting to dip a toe into the ever-growing Analog system (like me), this feels like a perfect first purchase. If you've never seen the Analog process in action, there is a great overview here—to me it's kind of like if bullet journaling and sticky notes had a baby.

clacks ⌨️

8 billion variations 🤯

→ Technically this board was featured back in issue #07, but now it's re-launched and back better than ever. The Bauer Lite by Omnitype just released a brand new customization website, called the Design Lab, that enables you to customize every aspect of the new Bauer—plate, top/bottom case, bumpers, switches, caps, you name it! All these choices mean that there are over 8 billion unique keyboards that can be created with the new customizer, so you can be sure your keyboard is unlike anybody else's. Their new colourway, Debug (my new fave), is a transparent green case that is reminiscent of original Xbox vibes without being too over-the-top or jarring. You can view what the Omnitype team, as well as a few popular content creators, designed using the site—a great way to see what's possible and get some inspo before jumping in and making your own.

Colours, and shapes, and symbols, oh my!

→ Abstract, designed by oh.type, is a brand-new limited edition keycap set released by The Key Machine. This is the 5th release by TKM and each set is limited to 250 units only. Once that stock is gone, it's gone forever—no re-stocks, no second rounds. Abstract experiments with unique shapes, uncanny sublegends, and eccentric colours—it's a fun set that will mesmerize anyone peeping your keeb. As of writing (Sep. 5th, 2025) this set is still in stock—here's to hoping it stays that way until newsletter release tomorrow 🤞.

mmm...bananas...mmm...

→ Designed and manufactured by RGBKB, the aptly name Banana Keyboard is a bright yellow board guaranteed to turn some heads. It's available on RGBKB's site in three different flavours—print it yourself (3D print your own top case), top case included, and fully assembled (includes Gateron Yellow switches). If interested (who isn't, it's a keyboard that's a heckin' banana 🍌🐒), it's available now until the 30th of September in a group-buy. Each set includes the bottom steel case and the very-distinct matching yellow keycaps. If you're 3D printing the case yourself (or maybe even the whole thing), all the components are open-sourced on GitHub. P.S. I am interested to see how many readers got the reference for this feature's title—hit me up if you also over-played that Mario vs Donkey Kong intro on the Game Boy Advance!!

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. Reach out at mail.clicksnclacks.com (or reply to this email!) and have a great weekend!!