Cortex

00:00:00 ◼   ► So every year towards the end of the year, we talk about our favorite apps and services that we use and state of the apps.

00:00:07 ◼   ► Well, today we're going to talk about the devices that we're using, the hardware that we're using in the very first state of the hardware.

00:00:14 ◼   ► State of the hardware, 2023.

00:00:18 ◼   ► Are you happy with 2023? I mean, I did wonder if you would petition for 2024.

00:00:21 ◼   ► Oh, god damn it, no, no. Yeah, wait a minute.

00:00:24 ◼   ► We can't do that. It's the middle of the... It's not even the middle of the year.

00:00:29 ◼   ► It should be state of the hardware 2024.

00:00:32 ◼   ► No, no, it really shouldn't be. Maybe in your mind you would like it to be, but like realistically it's 2023.

00:00:39 ◼   ► Because there are a bunch of devices that by 2024 we will have upgraded from that we're going to talk about today.

00:00:46 ◼   ► You don't know that, Mike. That's just wild speculation. You have no idea that that's true.

00:00:51 ◼   ► I'm suddenly having this feeling like, I was tricked. I was tricked with this title and I didn't even realize it.

00:00:57 ◼   ► The way that I kind of think of this is, we are professionals.

00:01:00 ◼   ► We are professional content creators, professional business people, professional consumers of content.

00:01:05 ◼   ► And with apps, we've made a bunch of decisions about the things that we use and the why we choose them or why we work with them.

00:01:12 ◼   ► And so I thought it would be nice to maybe move that over to hardware.

00:01:16 ◼   ► And there'll be some stuff that people know that we use or will have heard us talk about before.

00:01:20 ◼   ► But this, especially this first year, kind of gives the baseline.

00:01:23 ◼   ► And then as we go forward through future years, we could talk about how it's changing.

00:01:28 ◼   ► Similar to the idea of state of the apps, I've got a bunch of categories.

00:01:33 ◼   ► We have the everyday carry. We have work, office, entertainment, travel, and maybe a lightning round?

00:01:42 ◼   ► Yes, there may be a lightning round.

00:01:44 ◼   ► I also have a last minute addition to this category list, Mike, that you don't know about.

00:01:48 ◼   ► Although you will have an item for it, I think.

00:01:51 ◼   ► Okay.

00:01:51 ◼   ► It is dogs, dog gear.

00:01:54 ◼   ► I want to add to state of the hardware.

00:01:56 ◼   ► I have some dog recommendations.

00:01:58 ◼   ► I'm going to find somewhere else to put that in, you know, like, I don't know if I want to make a specific dog category.

00:02:05 ◼   ► Well, look, I'm just telling you, there's a dog category.

00:02:08 ◼   ► Surprise.

00:02:08 ◼   ► You're going to figure out where it goes.

00:02:10 ◼   ► Hey, here's the thing.

00:02:11 ◼   ► This is a collaborative process.

00:02:13 ◼   ► If you decide you want a dog category, then so be it.

00:02:17 ◼   ► There's a dog category.

00:02:17 ◼   ► Yeah, no, I did.

00:02:18 ◼   ► I already decided it.

00:02:19 ◼   ► Well, I mean, like it will be called dogs.

00:02:21 ◼   ► Yes.

00:02:22 ◼   ► You know, don't necessarily think I'm going to update the artwork for this one, but.

00:02:27 ◼   ► Now that you said that I'm going to have to get some custom dog cortex artwork made, of course.

00:02:32 ◼   ► Dog techs.

00:02:33 ◼   ► You know what?

00:02:34 ◼   ► I'm going to leave that one with you.

00:02:35 ◼   ► If you want to do that part, you could do that part.

00:02:39 ◼   ► Okay, I will.

00:02:40 ◼   ► So let's start with our everyday carry.

00:02:43 ◼   ► What goes in the pockets?

00:02:44 ◼   ► That's kind of what I was thinking about this, right?

00:02:46 ◼   ► What phone are you using right now?

00:02:48 ◼   ► The iPhone 14 Pro.

00:02:50 ◼   ► Not the max version.

00:02:52 ◼   ► I believe you've got the max version.

00:02:54 ◼   ► I have the max version.

00:02:55 ◼   ► I don't think we ever spoke about this.

00:02:57 ◼   ► This has been like one of the reasons I actually wanted to do this episode is that,

00:03:02 ◼   ► especially towards the end of the year where we might be changing out hardware,

00:03:06 ◼   ► our end of the year now is so kind of like focused on the show, the things that we do,

00:03:12 ◼   ► that we never really get to talk about these things anymore.

00:03:14 ◼   ► Like, I don't think we've had it.

00:03:16 ◼   ► We used to have an episode where we would talk about the new phones and watches every year,

00:03:20 ◼   ► and we haven't done that for years.

00:03:21 ◼   ► Yeah, for years.

00:03:23 ◼   ► Yeah, because by the time we would get around to it, it's just like,

00:03:26 ◼   ► there's no point doing an entire episode about this anymore.

00:03:29 ◼   ► So I thought, you know, this is one of the reasons I wanted to do this state of the hardware,

00:03:33 ◼   ► because we can talk about it for a couple of minutes,

00:03:35 ◼   ► along with all the other stuff that we're going to talk about.

00:03:37 ◼   ► So what made you decide the Pro rather than the Pro Max?

00:03:41 ◼   ► I can't remember if it was this year or last year.

00:03:46 ◼   ► You know, in life, sometimes you want to make decisions that cut down on your future decisions.

00:03:51 ◼   ► You want to decrease the number of decisions you make.

00:03:53 ◼   ► And I realized that I keep fluctuating back and forth between like big phone, best phone,

00:04:00 ◼   ► right, or like the small phone or the regular size phone.

00:04:03 ◼   ► And I just made a decision, like, I'm not going to make decisions about this anymore.

00:04:08 ◼   ► I'm just going to buy like the quote normal size phone.

00:04:12 ◼   ► I think every time I've bought the big one, it's like, there are things I really like,

00:04:16 ◼   ► but there are also frustrations.

00:04:17 ◼   ► And it's the same thing with the little phone of like, God, do I really like the little phone,

00:04:22 ◼   ► but there are also frustrations.

00:04:24 ◼   ► And so I decided, I'm not going to do this agony anymore every year.

00:04:28 ◼   ► Like, I'm just going to buy whatever the like normal size phone is and leave it at that.

00:04:34 ◼   ► So this was my like, no more decisions, no more anxiety.

00:04:39 ◼   ► This is just what I'm going to do.

00:04:40 ◼   ► You see, I made that decision too many years ago, and I chose most phone.

00:04:46 ◼   ► Right, most phone.

00:04:47 ◼   ► And this is where like, I wonder if this decision for you will pay off over the next few years,

00:04:53 ◼   ► because it seems very clear that to me and to many people, of course,

00:04:57 ◼   ► that Apple is going to adopt this like ultra model like Samsung have,

00:05:02 ◼   ► where the biggest phone will have the most stuff.

00:05:06 ◼   ► So like the rumors for this year's iPhone will be significant camera improvements,

00:05:11 ◼   ► just for the big one.

00:05:13 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:05:13 ◼   ► So I wonder if we'll see, you may level up to like,

00:05:17 ◼   ► I'm going to just do one decision, but maybe I'll go most as well.

00:05:21 ◼   ► Yeah, I don't think so.

00:05:23 ◼   ► It depends on the difference.

00:05:24 ◼   ► It might, you know, because we said this before, right?

00:05:26 ◼   ► Like when they put the largest sensor in, I think it was this one.

00:05:29 ◼   ► We're like, oh, it's going to be, it's fine.

00:05:32 ◼   ► There isn't really, I think a lot that's actually happened with it, like realistically.

00:05:37 ◼   ► I think if you're looking at very fine detail, like say for example,

00:05:40 ◼   ► you're taking photos of dogs, like, and you zoom in on them, then you can see the difference.

00:05:44 ◼   ► And in the times where I have shot raw, like it is great.

00:05:49 ◼   ► Yeah, the raw stuff is crazy.

00:05:50 ◼   ► Right, but you've got to do it.

00:05:52 ◼   ► And I do think that it's going to take a couple of years still of Apple having this sensor

00:05:56 ◼   ► to really unlock its full potential for them.

00:05:59 ◼   ► But this next one will probably have the periscope lens, right?

00:06:03 ◼   ► For the bigger zoom and all that kind of stuff.

00:06:05 ◼   ► So who knows if that will be of interest to you, but we'll see.

00:06:08 ◼   ► Yeah, I think this again is like the thing that I thought through is in the past,

00:06:13 ◼   ► I have done that exact thing of I always want the better camera,

00:06:17 ◼   ► better camera on big phone by big phone.

00:06:19 ◼   ► Yep.

00:06:20 ◼   ► But I have always slightly regretted it or not regretted it,

00:06:23 ◼   ► but just found the trade-offs frustrating.

00:06:26 ◼   ► And there are trade-offs, right?

00:06:27 ◼   ► The phones are big.

00:06:28 ◼   ► Now I like that, but I understand why somebody wouldn't,

00:06:32 ◼   ► especially if the benefit ends up being small, but the negatives are constant.

00:06:37 ◼   ► You maybe get sometimes a better camera improvement,

00:06:41 ◼   ► but if you don't like that the phone's bigger,

00:06:43 ◼   ► that is every minute of every day that that's going to be getting in your way.

00:06:46 ◼   ► Yes, that's exactly right.

00:06:47 ◼   ► I can't ever not feel it in my pocket problem.

00:06:52 ◼   ► It is there always going, "Hi, I'm a phone in your pocket.

00:06:57 ◼   ► You can feel this right now."

00:06:59 ◼   ► Whereas with the normal size phone, it's just under that threshold for me.

00:07:04 ◼   ► What case is your phone in?

00:07:06 ◼   ► Oh God!

00:07:06 ◼   ► I just thought of this.

00:07:07 ◼   ► I didn't put it in my list.

00:07:10 ◼   ► The reason is because I don't use a case on my phone.

00:07:12 ◼   ► Right, hold on.

00:07:13 ◼   ► I have to turn on the lights in my office so I can try to read with the case.

00:07:17 ◼   ► I did move to the MagSafe popsocket rather than just the popsocket stuck on the phone.

00:07:23 ◼   ► Oh, wait, wait.

00:07:24 ◼   ► So we moved to what?

00:07:25 ◼   ► There is a MagSafe popsocket.

00:07:27 ◼   ► So it's not a case, it's just connecting to the MagSafe magnet on the back.

00:07:31 ◼   ► That's what you're saying.

00:07:31 ◼   ► So it's the big oval, but it's got a mount for a popsocket on it.

00:07:36 ◼   ► And I did this because I'm trying to prepare for the time when I have to start using wireless charging.

00:07:44 ◼   ► And so then I'll be able to just take off the popsocket charge

00:07:48 ◼   ► and put the popsocket back on to carry on with my day.

00:07:51 ◼   ► Because that time is coming, especially like probably going to go USB-C this year.

00:07:55 ◼   ► And so the docks that I have would have to change.

00:07:58 ◼   ► And the docks that I have don't have a USB-C version.

00:08:01 ◼   ► They're just like Qi charging versions are all the modern ones now.

00:08:05 ◼   ► It's like people don't want you to be using docks with cables anymore.

00:08:09 ◼   ► You know, like you stick it on top of the cable.

00:08:11 ◼   ► I think my options there are going to shrink a lot.

00:08:14 ◼   ► So that's one thing.

00:08:15 ◼   ► But then also I think in a couple of years time, you know, it still feels feasible

00:08:20 ◼   ► that there will be an iPhone with no charging connector.

00:08:24 ◼   ► And so then like I can't be having a popsocket stuck to the back of the phone anymore

00:08:29 ◼   ► because I would get my phone would become single use.

00:08:31 ◼   ► - Right, right, right.

00:08:33 ◼   ► - So I moved to the MagSafe popsocket.

00:08:35 ◼   ► And I will say I have been pleasantly surprised.

00:08:38 ◼   ► I was very dubious of it as to if it would hold.

00:08:41 ◼   ► And I have never ever had it fall off ever.

00:08:44 ◼   ► - Okay, I'm impressed by that.

00:08:46 ◼   ► I would not have expected that.

00:08:47 ◼   ► - Yeah, the one I have is like, I think it's like the second generation.

00:08:51 ◼   ► Our mutual friend Alex told me that they bought the original one.

00:08:53 ◼   ► And it wasn't so secure.

00:08:55 ◼   ► But they obviously did something with the magnets for the kind of revised version.

00:09:00 ◼   ► And now it's like solid as a rock.

00:09:02 ◼   ► - Okay.

00:09:03 ◼   ► - But also easy to remove.

00:09:05 ◼   ► Like they've found this perfect sweet spot.

00:09:07 ◼   ► Like it's very easy to take off, but it also never comes off unexpectedly.

00:09:11 ◼   ► - Okay, so the case that I'm using, which I just love.

00:09:16 ◼   ► I've never been happier with the case.

00:09:18 ◼   ► It's the Peak Design Mobile Everyday Loop Case.

00:09:22 ◼   ► - Oh my word, that's a lot of branding in there.

00:09:25 ◼   ► - Well, yes, but it's like you're trying to describe every single part of it, right?

00:09:29 ◼   ► Peak Design is the company, mobile for your mobile phone, every day?

00:09:34 ◼   ► I don't know, every day?

00:09:35 ◼   ► - Every day is their branding, right?

00:09:37 ◼   ► They call their products every day.

00:09:39 ◼   ► It's like a whole line of products, I think, the everyday stuff.

00:09:42 ◼   ► - Oh, I just realized.

00:09:43 ◼   ► - The everyday backpack, right?

00:09:44 ◼   ► - Right, well, yes, I do have the everyday backpack, which will come up later.

00:09:47 ◼   ► - They also have Slimlink trademark technology in this one.

00:09:51 ◼   ► - Oh, okay, I don't see that as listed, but...

00:09:54 ◼   ► Okay, so there's two things about this that I love.

00:09:58 ◼   ► First, it's a pretty minimal case.

00:10:00 ◼   ► I guess that's why, because of that technology,

00:10:02 ◼   ► it feels like it barely adds anything to the phone.

00:10:04 ◼   ► It's still really protective.

00:10:05 ◼   ► I have really dropped this phone a few times,

00:10:08 ◼   ► and they've got just like a nice hard rim right around the cameras,

00:10:11 ◼   ► which has completely saved it from getting smashed.

00:10:13 ◼   ► Because I don't use the pop socket, they have a little loop on the back

00:10:18 ◼   ► that you can just put one finger through.

00:10:21 ◼   ► And I love it.

00:10:22 ◼   ► It's like just in the right position.

00:10:24 ◼   ► I feel like it's actually even in a better spot

00:10:26 ◼   ► than some of the pop socket was with just being a little lower.

00:10:29 ◼   ► It's like every time I pick up the phone,

00:10:31 ◼   ► I can just slide my ring finger through this little loop on the bottom

00:10:34 ◼   ► and have the phone really secure.

00:10:36 ◼   ► And then also for me, they have this mounting system.

00:10:40 ◼   ► - That's Slimlink.

00:10:41 ◼   ► - Oh, that's the Slimlink, okay.

00:10:44 ◼   ► This mounting system is...

00:10:46 ◼   ► It's mag safe, but it's also a physical connector.

00:10:49 ◼   ► And I have a mount for my bike that is the opposite end of that.

00:10:54 ◼   ► And it is like when a company designs something that works well,

00:10:58 ◼   ► it's so satisfying.

00:11:00 ◼   ► Like being able to just snap my phone onto this mount on the bike

00:11:05 ◼   ► and know that it is physically secured.

00:11:08 ◼   ► Like it is physically not coming off

00:11:10 ◼   ► unless I press the two little buttons on the back to pop it off

00:11:13 ◼   ► and then it comes off so easily.

00:11:14 ◼   ► Love it.

00:11:15 ◼   ► So like I just, I adore this case.

00:11:17 ◼   ► I think it's easily the best phone case I've ever used.

00:11:20 ◼   ► - Yeah, this was...

00:11:21 ◼   ► I remember they released their Kickstarter campaign for this.

00:11:25 ◼   ► - Yes, yes.

00:11:25 ◼   ► - Like six months before mag safe was introduced

00:11:28 ◼   ► and they ended up making it compatible with mag safe,

00:11:32 ◼   ► which I will say I was really nervous for them

00:11:37 ◼   ► because it felt like a very bold move at a risky time

00:11:41 ◼   ► and that ended up being the case.

00:11:43 ◼   ► But they found a way to kind of make it all work together

00:11:46 ◼   ► because you can use mag safe accessories of these cases too, right?

00:11:50 ◼   ► I think.

00:11:50 ◼   ► - Yeah, so that's also the thing that I really like about it is

00:11:54 ◼   ► I don't have any physical chargers anymore in my house.

00:11:56 ◼   ► I have all of these.

00:11:57 ◼   ► I didn't even bother looking up the brand

00:11:58 ◼   ► because every time I buy them off of Amazon,

00:12:00 ◼   ► it's like some weird different company is always making them.

00:12:03 ◼   ► - Yeah.

00:12:03 ◼   ► - But they're these like,

00:12:04 ◼   ► they're these little stands that are the three in one chargers.

00:12:07 ◼   ► So it has like mag safe for the phone.

00:12:09 ◼   ► It has a little charger on top for the watch

00:12:11 ◼   ► and then behind it, it has a little spot for your AirPods case.

00:12:14 ◼   ► I swear I've got like six of them in the house

00:12:17 ◼   ► and no two of them are made by the same company

00:12:19 ◼   ► because it's just like very strange.

00:12:21 ◼   ► - If you don't want your house to catch on fire,

00:12:24 ◼   ► a lot of these products are available from companies like Belkin and stuff.

00:12:27 ◼   ► Like I, again, I'm well known.

00:12:30 ◼   ► I am a wireless charging denier.

00:12:33 ◼   ► I don't like it.

00:12:35 ◼   ► It makes me nervous.

00:12:36 ◼   ► I just want to use a cable.

00:12:38 ◼   ► I don't like how hot everything gets.

00:12:41 ◼   ► Like I'm just not a fan of it, but...

00:12:42 ◼   ► - I think that's so funny because to me, wireless charging,

00:12:47 ◼   ► like the mag safe wireless charging thing,

00:12:49 ◼   ► once they got that system down,

00:12:50 ◼   ► easily one of my like just small delights in life is

00:12:55 ◼   ► I just put these chargers everywhere I'm likely to put down the phone

00:12:59 ◼   ► and it's functionally completely solved the problem

00:13:04 ◼   ► of thinking about my phone charge.

00:13:05 ◼   ► - I know I'm the weirdo here.

00:13:07 ◼   ► - Yeah.

00:13:07 ◼   ► - Because like everyone that I know loves it,

00:13:10 ◼   ► including people in my household.

00:13:11 ◼   ► - Unnamed other household.

00:13:14 ◼   ► - Every YouTuber loves it.

00:13:17 ◼   ► You know, every podcast, everyone loves wireless charging except for me.

00:13:21 ◼   ► And I don't know why I'm just like something about it.

00:13:25 ◼   ► It just doesn't feel right.

00:13:26 ◼   ► - Yeah, no, I get it.

00:13:27 ◼   ► - Charging via magnets.

00:13:28 ◼   ► It just seems strange.

00:13:29 ◼   ► - Mike, look, in the universe, we only have two things.

00:13:33 ◼   ► We have atoms and we have electromagnetism.

00:13:35 ◼   ► So if you think you're getting away from magnets

00:13:38 ◼   ► and any kind of charging that you're doing,

00:13:40 ◼   ► I have some bad news for you.

00:13:41 ◼   ► - I just, I don't like a charging method

00:13:44 ◼   ► where the method of charging generates extra heat.

00:13:47 ◼   ► That to me feels not good.

00:13:49 ◼   ► - I'll sit you down and tell you about electricity one day.

00:13:53 ◼   ► There's heat everywhere.

00:13:54 ◼   ► You just don't notice it.

00:13:55 ◼   ► - I don't want it.

00:13:56 ◼   ► - Yeah, so I love it.

00:13:57 ◼   ► That was one of the critical things for me on a case is like,

00:14:00 ◼   ► if a case doesn't work with MagSafe chargers, it's just dead.

00:14:04 ◼   ► I refuse to use it.

00:14:05 ◼   ► This is a case that's so good.

00:14:08 ◼   ► I would consider not upgrading the phone

00:14:11 ◼   ► until the next version of this case is out.

00:14:13 ◼   ► That's how much I love this case.

00:14:14 ◼   ► It's so good.

00:14:15 ◼   ► - The case design is one of these things,

00:14:17 ◼   ► which is so terrifying to me as a prospect.

00:14:20 ◼   ► Now we are in the world of making products, right?

00:14:23 ◼   ► The idea of having a product line

00:14:25 ◼   ► that is dependent on a thing,

00:14:27 ◼   ► but you have no idea what the specs are

00:14:32 ◼   ► until one day when then all of your customers

00:14:36 ◼   ► want the product next week.

00:14:38 ◼   ► - Yes, I know, I know.

00:14:40 ◼   ► - It feels like a horrible business to be in

00:14:43 ◼   ► because as well, then you end up getting

00:14:45 ◼   ► in the shady business of trying to get the measurements,

00:14:49 ◼   ► which is a thing that a lot of companies do,

00:14:52 ◼   ► which I totally understand why they do it.

00:14:54 ◼   ► But even then, you're still making a best bet.

00:14:57 ◼   ► If you've got some kind of measurements

00:15:00 ◼   ► from a factory in China somewhere telling you

00:15:02 ◼   ► these are the measurements of the new iPhone

00:15:04 ◼   ► and you make cases on that, go for it.

00:15:06 ◼   ► Companies do it.

00:15:07 ◼   ► Some companies get it from Apple, most of them don't.

00:15:09 ◼   ► - Right.

00:15:09 ◼   ► - But then you have produced however many thousands

00:15:12 ◼   ► of units of a product that you don't even really know

00:15:14 ◼   ► if it's gonna fit.

00:15:15 ◼   ► - Yeah, it's terrifying.

00:15:17 ◼   ► And also, especially if you are not getting

00:15:19 ◼   ► the measurements from Apple, you realize,

00:15:22 ◼   ► oh, those manufacturers may have incentives

00:15:25 ◼   ► to not tell you the correct size either,

00:15:28 ◼   ► which is a bit like, oh God.

00:15:29 ◼   ► - Yeah, yeah.

00:15:30 ◼   ► I can't imagine the pressure that Peak Design feel

00:15:34 ◼   ► in September every year.

00:15:35 ◼   ► - I will say right now, Cortex brand will never make

00:15:39 ◼   ► an iPhone case because I couldn't sleep at night.

00:15:43 ◼   ► It would just be too much stress.

00:15:45 ◼   ► - It's too much.

00:15:46 ◼   ► - Yeah.

00:15:46 ◼   ► - I mean, also I'm like a bit,

00:15:49 ◼   ► and I think you would agree with me here,

00:15:51 ◼   ► I'm a little bit hesitant to ever want to be beholden

00:15:54 ◼   ► to somebody else in that way.

00:15:57 ◼   ► That like, if you make phone cases,

00:15:59 ◼   ► you are always beholden to the decisions

00:16:02 ◼   ► of the phone manufacturer.

00:16:04 ◼   ► - Mm-hmm.

00:16:05 ◼   ► - What if one day you make cases for Samsung phones

00:16:08 ◼   ► and Samsung's like, gang, we did it.

00:16:10 ◼   ► We made a phone you don't need a case for.

00:16:12 ◼   ► - Oh yeah, I didn't even think about that.

00:16:14 ◼   ► - What are you gonna do?

00:16:15 ◼   ► Like if that's your whole business?

00:16:16 ◼   ► They're like, the glass is indestructible

00:16:18 ◼   ► and we've created this new like silicone back

00:16:22 ◼   ► and it's like feels fantastic and it's,

00:16:24 ◼   ► you never need a case.

00:16:25 ◼   ► Now there'll still be people that want to get cases

00:16:29 ◼   ► for like aesthetic reasons, but most people are buying cases

00:16:32 ◼   ► 'cause they don't wanna break their phone.

00:16:33 ◼   ► - Yeah, yeah.

00:16:34 ◼   ► - All that kind of stuff is just like that

00:16:35 ◼   ► as a terrifying prospect to me of like being completely

00:16:39 ◼   ► beholden to the whims of another company

00:16:41 ◼   ► and whatever they wanna do.

00:16:42 ◼   ► But also I don't feel like we have any particular ideas

00:16:46 ◼   ► of phone cases, but what I do like about this Peak Design

00:16:49 ◼   ► line, this like Slim Link line or the mobile ecosystem,

00:16:52 ◼   ► there's a lot of branding now,

00:16:54 ◼   ► is they have all of these little accessories, right?

00:16:57 ◼   ► You can get different mounts for different modes

00:16:59 ◼   ► of transport.

00:17:00 ◼   ► You can get little mounts that you can just stick

00:17:02 ◼   ► on the wall, which I think is kind of cool.

00:17:04 ◼   ► So like you could put one next to your bathroom mirror

00:17:06 ◼   ► and watch YouTube videos where you brush your teeth

00:17:08 ◼   ► or whatever.

00:17:09 ◼   ► It is a cool system and it's like used in all of the places

00:17:14 ◼   ► you would use MagSafe and there are MagSafe mounts

00:17:16 ◼   ► for all of these things, but it has a locking system

00:17:20 ◼   ► and so it's not gonna come off.

00:17:22 ◼   ► So you can lock it to your bike and not worry

00:17:24 ◼   ► that if you go over a pothole that your phone's

00:17:26 ◼   ► gonna fly off.

00:17:27 ◼   ► - That's exactly right.

00:17:29 ◼   ► And I don't know if you have noticed,

00:17:30 ◼   ► but if you do any of the like food delivery stuff

00:17:33 ◼   ► in London, I have noticed that a crazy number

00:17:36 ◼   ► of the drivers are using this system.

00:17:38 ◼   ► - Oh really?

00:17:39 ◼   ► - They make a mount for motorcycles as well

00:17:41 ◼   ► and they make a mount for bikes and I just like,

00:17:44 ◼   ► I tune into it of like the number of people using

00:17:47 ◼   ► these delivery services.

00:17:48 ◼   ► - Oh, this bike mount is really, really well made.

00:17:51 ◼   ► Like I can just look at it and be like,

00:17:52 ◼   ► oh, that's well made.

00:17:53 ◼   ► That is a well made strong thing.

00:17:55 ◼   ► - Yeah, it's like, but these guys are taken,

00:17:57 ◼   ► their phone on and off the bike a hundred times a day

00:18:01 ◼   ► and like they cannot have it be insecure in the slightest.

00:18:05 ◼   ► And so it's like, I think they've kind of like cornered

00:18:08 ◼   ► the food delivery market phone case.

00:18:10 ◼   ► - But also the benefit too is like, you've got to be able

00:18:13 ◼   ► to take it off and on easily too, right?

00:18:15 ◼   ► It can't just be like you've clamped your phone

00:18:18 ◼   ► to the bike and that's the end of it.

00:18:19 ◼   ► Like you've also got to be able to pick it up and go.

00:18:23 ◼   ► And I'm sure it's helpful for you.

00:18:24 ◼   ► Like they make a bunch of like mounts for tripods

00:18:27 ◼   ► and all that kind of stuff.

00:18:28 ◼   ► So if you're ever shooting something on your phone,

00:18:29 ◼   ► it's also helpful for you as a content creator.

00:18:31 ◼   ► - Yeah, yeah, I got the little tripod one for travel stuff

00:18:34 ◼   ► just to have and it's really nicely built.

00:18:37 ◼   ► It's like a perfect little, oh, I can have this here.

00:18:39 ◼   ► Even kind of nice just for doing like FaceTime calls

00:18:42 ◼   ► while you're traveling to just set it up

00:18:44 ◼   ► and not have to use your computer.

00:18:45 ◼   ► - Do you see though why I could never use this?

00:18:47 ◼   ► Because if I got into this system,

00:18:50 ◼   ► I have to upgrade my phone as soon as possible for my job.

00:18:53 ◼   ► - Yeah.

00:18:54 ◼   ► - That like then I would like my life would be revolving

00:18:57 ◼   ► around this system I built and I have to wait for two,

00:19:00 ◼   ► I can't use it for two months of every year.

00:19:02 ◼   ► - Yeah, no, that would, it would not work for you.

00:19:05 ◼   ► But I think as is clear,

00:19:06 ◼   ► I cannot possibly recommend it highly enough.

00:19:08 ◼   ► - What Apple Watch do you wear?

00:19:10 ◼   ► Or what watch do you wear?

00:19:12 ◼   ► Please do not allow me to be presumptuous.

00:19:13 ◼   ► - Yeah, how dare you, Mike?

00:19:16 ◼   ► How dare you assume that I'm wearing an Apple Watch?

00:19:18 ◼   ► So I'm wearing an Apple Watch.

00:19:19 ◼   ► (laughing)

00:19:23 ◼   ► So I actually, I don't remember if I told you this before,

00:19:26 ◼   ► but I don't actually know which Apple Watch I'm using

00:19:30 ◼   ► because when I was in Hawaii earlier this year,

00:19:34 ◼   ► we ended up setting up a couple of family members

00:19:38 ◼   ► with Apple Watches and trying to get them

00:19:41 ◼   ► to where we were in Hawaii on time,

00:19:44 ◼   ► wasn't really gonna work.

00:19:45 ◼   ► And so my uncle-in-law took the watch right off my wrist

00:19:50 ◼   ► and I was very happy to give it to him.

00:19:52 ◼   ► And I set him up with what was my Series 8, I guess,

00:19:56 ◼   ► would have been at the time a watch.

00:19:57 ◼   ► - I don't think it would have been an 8.

00:19:59 ◼   ► - Or maybe it was a 7, whatever it was.

00:19:59 ◼   ► - I think it was probably a 7.

00:20:01 ◼   ► - Whatever it was at the time.

00:20:02 ◼   ► And so then I came home and I just set up

00:20:05 ◼   ► one of my older Apple Watches, I guess the 6?

00:20:08 ◼   ► I'm not 100% sure.

00:20:09 ◼   ► And I was waiting for like the next cycle

00:20:11 ◼   ► to come around for the watch.

00:20:13 ◼   ► I was extremely tempted by the Ultra

00:20:16 ◼   ► when they released that.

00:20:18 ◼   ► I was like, "Ooh, can I buy that Ultra?"

00:20:22 ◼   ► But I just couldn't stand the silver color at all.

00:20:24 ◼   ► So I passed on that.

00:20:25 ◼   ► So I'm just waiting for the next cycle.

00:20:28 ◼   ► But what I really want is I want like a black Ultra for sure.

00:20:32 ◼   ► That's what I'm looking for.

00:20:32 ◼   ► - I'm using an Apple Watch Series 7.

00:20:34 ◼   ► I'm using the gold one, which I love,

00:20:38 ◼   ► the gold stainless steel one.

00:20:39 ◼   ► The Series 8 wasn't enough of an upgrade for me.

00:20:42 ◼   ► I feel like two years is a pretty good upgrade cycle

00:20:46 ◼   ► even for me as a person who talks about

00:20:48 ◼   ► this stuff professionally.

00:20:50 ◼   ► I don't think that they really,

00:20:52 ◼   ► and I understand they don't add enough hardware stuff

00:20:54 ◼   ► every year and it tends to be the last few years

00:20:56 ◼   ► they've added sensors, like health sensors,

00:20:59 ◼   ► where the impact can be smaller.

00:21:02 ◼   ► - Yeah, of course.

00:21:02 ◼   ► - The sensors in the Series 8 weren't for me anyway, right?

00:21:05 ◼   ► They were applicable for like ovulation tracking and stuff.

00:21:08 ◼   ► So that wasn't so helpful for me.

00:21:10 ◼   ► And the Series 6, whenever they added

00:21:14 ◼   ► the blood oxygen sensor, the way that they pitched that

00:21:17 ◼   ► was so weak at the time that there really hasn't been

00:21:21 ◼   ► anything super useful from the health perspective.

00:21:23 ◼   ► But this is a knockout success for me since the ECG.

00:21:27 ◼   ► But there is potential of,

00:21:29 ◼   ► they're talking of in the next few years,

00:21:30 ◼   ► they might have blood glucose monitors in the watches,

00:21:32 ◼   ► which would just be like a wild thing to have.

00:21:35 ◼   ► - Oh, God.

00:21:36 ◼   ► If they ever crack that, I feel like that is gonna be

00:21:39 ◼   ► like Apple stock to the moon.

00:21:40 ◼   ► - It's gonna be incredible.

00:21:41 ◼   ► - If they can ever, ever nail that.

00:21:43 ◼   ► - I think they'll do it.

00:21:44 ◼   ► I genuinely think they'll do it

00:21:45 ◼   ► 'cause they've been working on it for so long.

00:21:47 ◼   ► There was a report recently that they'd made a breakthrough.

00:21:51 ◼   ► Like they're getting closer and it's non-invasive too, right?

00:21:54 ◼   ► Like there's nothing pricking you in the skin.

00:21:55 ◼   ► So for me, it's every two years.

00:21:59 ◼   ► And when the Ultra came out,

00:22:00 ◼   ► I wasn't sure if that was the watch for me.

00:22:03 ◼   ► Like it seemed super large, you know,

00:22:05 ◼   ► like from the imagery and stuff.

00:22:06 ◼   ► And I decided I just wasn't gonna look at one.

00:22:08 ◼   ► Like just don't go to the store, don't look at it.

00:22:10 ◼   ► (laughing)

00:22:11 ◼   ► Don't worry about it.

00:22:12 ◼   ► - Ah, the classic, if you don't want a dog,

00:22:15 ◼   ► don't visit the pound, right?

00:22:16 ◼   ► - Yep, I avoided Apple stores for months.

00:22:19 ◼   ► And then when I was in LA in January,

00:22:22 ◼   ► we was hanging out with our friend,

00:22:23 ◼   ► David Sparks from MacPow users.

00:22:25 ◼   ► And he just said, "Give me a wrist."

00:22:27 ◼   ► And he just put his watch on my wrist.

00:22:29 ◼   ► (laughing)

00:22:30 ◼   ► And then I knew I wanted an Apple Watch Ultra.

00:22:33 ◼   ► - Yeah.

00:22:33 ◼   ► - But I just decided that I would wait.

00:22:36 ◼   ► 'Cause I would also like it

00:22:38 ◼   ► if maybe they had some color options.

00:22:40 ◼   ► I like the silver, but I would like to maybe make a choice

00:22:44 ◼   ► rather than it being the only one.

00:22:46 ◼   ► I like the design of the Apple Watch Ultra.

00:22:48 ◼   ► That's the biggest thing for me.

00:22:50 ◼   ► Because my main problem with the Apple Watch

00:22:52 ◼   ► is the Apple Watch has looked essentially the same forever.

00:22:56 ◼   ► - It's interesting you mentioned that

00:22:57 ◼   ► because I mean, for me with the Ultra,

00:22:59 ◼   ► the thing would be, I just want a bigger screen.

00:23:01 ◼   ► Like that's my number one feature request.

00:23:03 ◼   ► But even for me, a dramatically unfashioned sensitive person

00:23:09 ◼   ► who likes things consistent and the same in my life,

00:23:13 ◼   ► I have felt like the Apple Watch has gone over

00:23:16 ◼   ► some kind of threshold where I could die of boredom looking at it.

00:23:20 ◼   ► - Yes.

00:23:20 ◼   ► - And like, I am so unsensitive to this.

00:23:23 ◼   ► But I think like, if I am feeling this way,

00:23:26 ◼   ► there has to be just monstrous pent-up demand

00:23:30 ◼   ► for any kind of design change.

00:23:32 ◼   ► - Which I think is probably why the Ultra did quite well.

00:23:34 ◼   ► I think it's done quite well.

00:23:35 ◼   ► I see them quite a lot.

00:23:37 ◼   ► And I think it's because it has a new design.

00:23:39 ◼   ► I mean, you see this all the time.

00:23:40 ◼   ► Every time Apple releases an iPhone with a big new design,

00:23:42 ◼   ► it always sells the best, right?

00:23:44 ◼   ► Just makes sense.

00:23:44 ◼   ► People want new.

00:23:45 ◼   ► And like, it's why I wear the gold Apple Watch,

00:23:49 ◼   ► because I just think it looks different.

00:23:51 ◼   ► Like it's just, at least it's got something to it.

00:23:54 ◼   ► But I'm really fed up of the like rounded corner design.

00:23:58 ◼   ► The Ultra is interesting to me because it's like boxy.

00:24:01 ◼   ► It's got something that it looks visibly different.

00:24:04 ◼   ► So that's exciting to me.

00:24:05 ◼   ► I'm going to wait for the next upgrade cycle.

00:24:07 ◼   ► I'm hoping that they will revise it in some way this year.

00:24:10 ◼   ► They probably will because it was such a hit maybe.

00:24:12 ◼   ► So they'll do another one.

00:24:13 ◼   ► And I would love it if they had some different colors.

00:24:16 ◼   ► The rumors are that the next iPhone will have a titanium frame,

00:24:20 ◼   ► so they will be coloring that.

00:24:22 ◼   ► So my hope is there will be some color options for the Ultra too.

00:24:25 ◼   ► Ooh, that'd be nice.

00:24:26 ◼   ► What wallet do you use?

00:24:28 ◼   ► Logic would dictate that you're using the Peak Design wallet or whatever.

00:24:32 ◼   ► Well, so no, I'm using something else that has just as long of a name.

00:24:38 ◼   ► The Kaks Gek pop-up card holder wallet with money clip.

00:24:44 ◼   ► RFID blocking, six card capacity.

00:24:47 ◼   ► So I was looking for a wallet.

00:24:53 ◼   ► Does this have an AirTag holder?

00:24:55 ◼   ► So this is it, right?

00:24:56 ◼   ► Okay, so AirTags are one of these things that have just-

00:25:01 ◼   ► As soon as I had a few of them, it's like, I want an AirTag

00:25:05 ◼   ► in everything important that I can own, that I can lose.

00:25:09 ◼   ► If we were gonna pick a winner for State of the Hardware,

00:25:12 ◼   ► you know, like how you have your unofficial app pick in State of the App?

00:25:17 ◼   ► I don't do that.

00:25:17 ◼   ► Which you don't do, you definitely don't do.

00:25:19 ◼   ► I think it would be fair to say that just like,

00:25:21 ◼   ► if you take one thing away from this conversation today,

00:25:24 ◼   ► it's like AirTags are awesome.

00:25:25 ◼   ► If you have an iPhone, you should have AirTags on your luggage, on your keys.

00:25:30 ◼   ► Everything.

00:25:31 ◼   ► They're excellent.

00:25:31 ◼   ► It's an excellent product.

00:25:33 ◼   ► The only thing that kind of kills me about them is,

00:25:35 ◼   ► it sounds strange for how small they are,

00:25:38 ◼   ► they are a little bulky and I think that the shape is awkward.

00:25:42 ◼   ► I would just want them to even-

00:25:44 ◼   ► Just put in like the tiniest hole so that you don't have to have a case

00:25:49 ◼   ► that's always holding the things, but even that aside, they're amazing.

00:25:53 ◼   ► Here's what I'll say on the size and the design.

00:25:56 ◼   ► I agree with you, they're a little big,

00:25:57 ◼   ► but I would take that and have replaceable batteries

00:26:03 ◼   ► rather than giving Apple like £29 every time the battery runs out.

00:26:08 ◼   ► Which, when they were in design, it's like people were like,

00:26:11 ◼   ► "This is going to be the way that it is, right?

00:26:13 ◼   ► They're going to have like a battery life and then you'll have to buy a new one."

00:26:16 ◼   ► But like, I just replaced the batteries on all of mine

00:26:19 ◼   ► and I bought like 20 batteries for £5.

00:26:21 ◼   ► So it's like, I wish that they were a bit smaller,

00:26:26 ◼   ► but I will take that because I can replace the battery in them.

00:26:29 ◼   ► Yeah, I think it's an interesting trade-off.

00:26:32 ◼   ► Ideally, I'd love it like a wireless charging, right?

00:26:34 ◼   ► Like, use the Apple Watch charger for something else, right?

00:26:38 ◼   ► Like, can you have a tiny little wireless charging thing in there?

00:26:41 ◼   ► Then it would still need to be as physically large as the charger would allow.

00:26:45 ◼   ► But anyway.

00:26:46 ◼   ► To be clear, this is the most minor of complaints

00:26:49 ◼   ► because the quality of life improvement for putting air tags on as many things as you can

00:26:57 ◼   ► is insane.

00:26:58 ◼   ► It's like, just completely changes the way I interact with objects.

00:27:02 ◼   ► And once I started down this path, I was like,

00:27:04 ◼   ► "One of the very high things for me to have an air tag on is my wallet."

00:27:11 ◼   ► And I ordered like every wallet on Amazon that had any kind of air tag holder.

00:27:17 ◼   ► And this for me was the clearest winner by a huge margin.

00:27:23 ◼   ► I love this little wallet.

00:27:24 ◼   ► Like, I'm pretty minimal with my wallet.

00:27:25 ◼   ► I don't have very many cards.

00:27:28 ◼   ► This is just the right size for holding a few cards and holding a few bills.

00:27:33 ◼   ► And then you're all set.

00:27:34 ◼   ► But somehow the engineering of the way they make the air tag fit into the wallet,

00:27:42 ◼   ► it is the most minimal an air tag can possibly feel on a wallet.

00:27:46 ◼   ► They put it in backwards so it's the metal side out,

00:27:50 ◼   ► and they carved out a little space in the physical wall of the wallet to take most of the bulk.

00:27:55 ◼   ► It's fantastic.

00:27:56 ◼   ► I love this wallet so much.

00:27:58 ◼   ► It's great.

00:27:59 ◼   ► I also just love kind of like the sturdiness of it.

00:28:01 ◼   ► It just feels good as an object to hold.

00:28:04 ◼   ► So highly recommended.

00:28:06 ◼   ► I want to make a recommendation.

00:28:07 ◼   ► Now this isn't for a wallet,

00:28:09 ◼   ► but this is for something where if you don't want an air tag in your wallet.

00:28:13 ◼   ► I have not used this product, but the theory of it is sound.

00:28:17 ◼   ► It's called the Chipolo card.

00:28:20 ◼   ► So this is effectively a card size, like a credit card size,

00:28:25 ◼   ► probably like the thickness of two credit cards, but the shape of a credit card.

00:28:28 ◼   ► Tracking device that works with the Find My network.

00:28:33 ◼   ► So Apple also made the ability for the Find My tracking to be available to third parties.

00:28:41 ◼   ► And Chipolo is a company that works with Apple.

00:28:45 ◼   ► And this card will do most of what you need, but the basic thing is like

00:28:50 ◼   ► can connect to iPhones for Bluetooth tracking, right?

00:28:55 ◼   ► Like that's the whole thing.

00:28:56 ◼   ► Okay, so it's a pseudo credit card.

00:28:58 ◼   ► That is the Find My object.

00:29:00 ◼   ► Oh, interesting.

00:29:01 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:29:01 ◼   ► Just in case you don't want to have a wallet which has an air tag stuck to the side of it.

00:29:05 ◼   ► Like, and I don't like the visual of that.

00:29:07 ◼   ► Neither would I like that in my back pocket, right?

00:29:09 ◼   ► Like, I just think that would be uncomfortable.

00:29:11 ◼   ► Oh yeah.

00:29:11 ◼   ► If you put the wallet in your back pocket, this is not going to work.

00:29:14 ◼   ► Yeah, that makes sense.

00:29:16 ◼   ► But this might work, right?

00:29:17 ◼   ► And like Chipolo is also one of the companies that makes like air tag competitors.

00:29:21 ◼   ► And theirs is about the same price, but is a different physical shape.

00:29:25 ◼   ► And they don't have the exact same feature set, but it might be the features that you want.

00:29:29 ◼   ► And I think the main one, like, you know, they can have them make sounds and stuff like that.

00:29:34 ◼   ► But the main thing for me about the Find My stuff is that it connects to the Find My network,

00:29:40 ◼   ► which is basically any iPhone in the world.

00:29:43 ◼   ► Yes.

00:29:43 ◼   ► It can help you locate your thing.

00:29:45 ◼   ► And that's what these products can do too.

00:29:47 ◼   ► Okay. But for me also, the critical thing is, does it do the thing where your phone can point

00:29:53 ◼   ► in the direction of the object?

00:29:54 ◼   ► No.

00:29:55 ◼   ► Okay. Well then that's like a deal breaker for me.

00:29:57 ◼   ► I understand that, right?

00:29:58 ◼   ► It doesn't have the precision finding.

00:30:00 ◼   ► And that's like a thing that air tags have.

00:30:02 ◼   ► And if you have a modern iPhone can do that part.

00:30:06 ◼   ► This part, I don't believe they have opened up to other people.

00:30:09 ◼   ► But this is like maybe as good as you can get.

00:30:13 ◼   ► A Bluetooth tracker is something that has the Find My network in it.

00:30:17 ◼   ► And also Google's doing it now.

00:30:18 ◼   ► And actually as we're recording this, like Google and Apple are working together on some

00:30:22 ◼   ► of this stuff now too.

00:30:23 ◼   ► So it might get a bit better.

00:30:24 ◼   ► Interesting. Okay.

00:30:26 ◼   ► I need the, it points to where your thing is.

00:30:29 ◼   ► Like that is surprisingly to me, the feature that really makes these trackers different.

00:30:35 ◼   ► Like I've used a lot of trackers over the years and I've always found them useful.

00:30:39 ◼   ► But the ability to point and be like, it's six feet to your left is killer.

00:30:46 ◼   ► Like it makes such a difference.

00:30:48 ◼   ► I love that they put that into the AirPods Pro 2 as well.

00:30:51 ◼   ► The U1 finding.

00:30:52 ◼   ► Like that's, I've never used that precision finding for AirTag before, but I've used it

00:30:58 ◼   ► a couple of times for my AirPods.

00:30:59 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:31:00 ◼   ► The AirPods is another one of my everyday carry things.

00:31:02 ◼   ► And the moment they had the, it's part of Find My and you can point to it as like sold.

00:31:06 ◼   ► I need no other features except from that.

00:31:08 ◼   ► Like immediate purchase.

00:31:10 ◼   ► Although for me, the big thing is just how much better the noise canceling and transparency

00:31:14 ◼   ► became and, but my biggest thing is the volume adjustment.

00:31:17 ◼   ► I thought I wouldn't like that, but the ability to adjust volume with the AirPods Pro 2.

00:31:21 ◼   ► Fantastic.

00:31:22 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:31:23 ◼   ► I use it all the time.

00:31:24 ◼   ► Really good.

00:31:24 ◼   ► My wallet is the Bellroy card sleeve.

00:31:28 ◼   ► Oh, right.

00:31:30 ◼   ► Classic.

00:31:30 ◼   ► Is this, yeah, this is a classic.

00:31:32 ◼   ► I think this is the one I used to use or something similar to it.

00:31:35 ◼   ► I think a lot of people have had this product across their desk at some point.

00:31:39 ◼   ► Like it's just simple.

00:31:40 ◼   ► This is a good one.

00:31:41 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:31:42 ◼   ► I don't carry cash.

00:31:43 ◼   ► You can put a little cash in there, but I don't really like cash in general.

00:31:46 ◼   ► This is just like put a couple of cards in the middle and a couple of cards on the outside.

00:31:52 ◼   ► And so like for me, it's like, I'll put my credit card and like two debit cards in the inside.

00:31:57 ◼   ► My driving license on the outside.

00:32:00 ◼   ► And if I have like a hotel room key or something, it'll go on the other side.

00:32:03 ◼   ► Like nice and simple, very slim for me.

00:32:06 ◼   ► I do, you know, I, I know you shouldn't, but I put my wallet in my back pocket.

00:32:10 ◼   ► So I like it to be as slim as possible.

00:32:12 ◼   ► And this for me is something which is super slim, but also stylish.

00:32:15 ◼   ► It has that system where to get to the cards on the inside, you pull this little tab.

00:32:20 ◼   ► Yes.

00:32:20 ◼   ► And it just pops the cards out.

00:32:21 ◼   ► That was always nice.

00:32:22 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:32:22 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:32:23 ◼   ► Very simple.

00:32:24 ◼   ► And I've always really liked this.

00:32:26 ◼   ► I've I'm onto like my third of these.

00:32:29 ◼   ► One I lost and one just got worn down.

00:32:33 ◼   ► And so like, this is my wallet.

00:32:34 ◼   ► I will buy this wallet for as long as Bellroy make it.

00:32:37 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:32:37 ◼   ► And when I, when I had that one, I had the, it was like the brown leather one, I think.

00:32:41 ◼   ► That's what I have.

00:32:42 ◼   ► And I also really liked the way it looked as it aged.

00:32:45 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:32:45 ◼   ► Like some, like some, some materials just look nice as they pick up little scuffs.

00:32:49 ◼   ► And I thought like, Ooh, this, this wallet looks fantastic.

00:32:52 ◼   ► The longer I have it.

00:32:53 ◼   ► It also gets stretched a little bit in the right way, you know, like stretches to conform

00:32:57 ◼   ► to what you have in there.

00:32:58 ◼   ► And yeah, I'm a, I'm a big fan of this product.

00:33:00 ◼   ► For anyone who's listening to this right now, you're probably picky about products.

00:33:04 ◼   ► And one of the, I think one of the things that you realize is that a big part of trying

00:33:13 ◼   ► to find products you like is really about trying to find companies that you like because

00:33:19 ◼   ► they have designers that are like matching whatever it is you're looking for in stuff.

00:33:24 ◼   ► And I feel like, Ooh, Peak Design is one of those companies for me.

00:33:27 ◼   ► Like they have a lot of stuff that I like and use.

00:33:29 ◼   ► And Bellroy was another one of these companies of like, when I found it, like, Oh, great.

00:33:33 ◼   ► Like you make a bunch of stuff that's like hitting my needs of what I'm looking for.

00:33:38 ◼   ► So yeah, it's, it's, uh, I feel like product recommendations are often implicitly recommendations

00:33:44 ◼   ► of check out the other things that this company makes.

00:33:48 ◼   ► If you like this one thing in, in a way that I think I was less aware of this, just like

00:33:53 ◼   ► when you're looking for stuff on Amazon, it's like, yeah, but you're also trying to find

00:33:57 ◼   ► companies with designers that make things that you like.

00:34:00 ◼   ► Yeah. Spoiler alert, I'm going to mention Bellroy about four more times.

00:34:04 ◼   ► Okay. Well, there we go.

00:34:06 ◼   ► And just to round out like AirTags, I have an AirTag on my keys and I, I actually really

00:34:13 ◼   ► like Apple's AirTag, their leather AirTag key ring.

00:34:16 ◼   ► I think, I think it's really nice.

00:34:18 ◼   ► And I think with a engraved, you know, get like the engraving on AirTags.

00:34:22 ◼   ► Like I have an AirTag engraved with my initials and then in the key ring, I think it makes

00:34:28 ◼   ► it look just like a nice key ring, like, so could I have AirTag on the keys?

00:34:33 ◼   ► We do the same thing in the house of like both my wife and I, we just like picked an

00:34:36 ◼   ► emoji and it's like, this is the emoji for all of your things.

00:34:39 ◼   ► This is the emoji for all of my things.

00:34:40 ◼   ► And again, that's a thing where when Apple first rolled out that engraving, I kind of

00:34:45 ◼   ► thought it was like an upsell gimmick and it completely changed my mind on it.

00:34:49 ◼   ► It was like, no, this is very important.

00:34:51 ◼   ► Like, and we now do that emoji engraving on basically all of the stuff like Apple pencils

00:34:56 ◼   ► too, because some unnamed person in the house is constantly losing her pencils and trying

00:35:03 ◼   ► to take mine.

00:35:04 ◼   ► And so we, we have a record of like officially, but who lost their pencil and who kept their

00:35:10 ◼   ► pencil with the little emojis on it?

00:35:12 ◼   ► I wish they would do a more emoji, that every emoji should be available in my opinion.

00:35:17 ◼   ► Oh, are they not?

00:35:17 ◼   ► Is it just a limited selection?

00:35:18 ◼   ► I didn't realize that.

00:35:19 ◼   ► Limited set of emoji and it is actually free.

00:35:22 ◼   ► Oh, is it?

00:35:23 ◼   ► I thought it wasn't.

00:35:23 ◼   ► Oh, okay.

00:35:24 ◼   ► Huh.

00:35:25 ◼   ► Am I crazy?

00:35:25 ◼   ► Did it used to be an upsell?

00:35:27 ◼   ► I don't remember.

00:35:27 ◼   ► I mean, what it does do is, you know, if you're buying something when it's like just released,

00:35:32 ◼   ► it will take longer to come through.

00:35:34 ◼   ► Cause it comes from a different place.

00:35:35 ◼   ► Okay.

00:35:36 ◼   ► Well, my apologies, Apple.

00:35:37 ◼   ► I take it back.

00:35:38 ◼   ► You're not trying to upsell.

00:35:39 ◼   ► You don't need to apologize to Apple.

00:35:40 ◼   ► It's fine.

00:35:40 ◼   ► They're going to be okay.

00:35:41 ◼   ► I was really going to hurt sales there with people to upsell.

00:35:45 ◼   ► It's like, everyone's like, you know, so many people just put air tags in their cart and

00:35:49 ◼   ► then remove them.

00:35:49 ◼   ► Anything else in EDC?

00:35:53 ◼   ► Oh, you know what?

00:35:54 ◼   ► Hold on a second.

00:35:55 ◼   ► Okay.

00:35:55 ◼   ► I've got something, I've got something else that's like EDC adjacent.

00:35:59 ◼   ► Let me see if I can just find it.

00:36:00 ◼   ► Hold on a second.

00:36:01 ◼   ► All right.

00:36:01 ◼   ► The product name isn't written on here, but it doesn't matter because it's the concept

00:36:06 ◼   ► of the thing.

00:36:07 ◼   ► Right?

00:36:08 ◼   ► So I was trying to think about like everyday carry stuff.

00:36:10 ◼   ► Like we've covered the everyday carry stuff because I try to go real light.

00:36:14 ◼   ► But there is sort of another everyday carry item, which is my belt.

00:36:19 ◼   ► And at some point I discovered that they make belts that don't have notches.

00:36:25 ◼   ► They have a ratchet mechanism.

00:36:27 ◼   ► So I'm going to do this in front of the microphone.

00:36:28 ◼   ► Okay.

00:36:31 ◼   ► So it's a belt that has like little notches on the inside of the belt.

00:36:36 ◼   ► And then the buckle is like a one-way ratchet to attach to those.

00:36:43 ◼   ► Love it.

00:36:44 ◼   ► It's so much nicer than a traditional belt because you can always make it fit

00:36:49 ◼   ► exactly right.

00:36:51 ◼   ► And I feel like this does count as an everyday carry item because I have it on me every day

00:36:56 ◼   ► as the final thing.

00:36:58 ◼   ► This is interesting.

00:36:59 ◼   ► I'm on Amazon right now and like they make this kind of belt that look like regular belts.

00:37:05 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:37:05 ◼   ► So no one would ever know that it's not a regular belt.

00:37:08 ◼   ► Yes.

00:37:08 ◼   ► Here we go.

00:37:09 ◼   ► Okay.

00:37:09 ◼   ► I found the one that I really like is called Flintronic.

00:37:14 ◼   ► Oh, I see it here.

00:37:15 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:37:16 ◼   ► So that's the one that I've got and you can get it in like any different color.

00:37:19 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:37:19 ◼   ► With different belt buckle styles.

00:37:21 ◼   ► No one would ever know.

00:37:22 ◼   ► Like it's not a weird looking belt.

00:37:24 ◼   ► I think when I just describe it, people kind of think it's the Velcro shoes of belts.

00:37:29 ◼   ► You know, I was thinking it's like putting laces on Velcro shoes.

00:37:33 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:37:36 ◼   ► So I really like it.

00:37:37 ◼   ► It's just a small increase in comfort for, oh, your belt always fits exactly right every day.

00:37:44 ◼   ► So I'm going to, I'm going to have that as my last everyday carry recommendation.

00:37:49 ◼   ► This episode of Cortex is brought to you by our friends at Squarespace, the all-in-one platform

00:37:54 ◼   ► for letting you build your brand and grow your business online.

00:37:57 ◼   ► When you set up a Squarespace website, you are going to stand out from the crowd.

00:38:02 ◼   ► It is going to be beautiful.

00:38:04 ◼   ► One of the professionally designed best in class website templates.

00:38:08 ◼   ► You will be able to engage directly with your audience through Squarespace email campaigns,

00:38:13 ◼   ► and you can sell anything, your products, services, even the content that you create

00:38:18 ◼   ► with a Squarespace store.

00:38:20 ◼   ► Squarespace has got you covered.

00:38:22 ◼   ► Let me dig in to some of those things.

00:38:24 ◼   ► Let's talk about those templates.

00:38:25 ◼   ► When you go to Squarespace and get started, it is as easy as just browsing their categories

00:38:30 ◼   ► to find the type of website that you want to make.

00:38:32 ◼   ► And they have templates that are beautifully designed of the page structure there to be

00:38:37 ◼   ► the perfect starting place for you.

00:38:39 ◼   ► But everything is super customizable in just a few clicks.

00:38:42 ◼   ► You can change the layout, the fonts, the colors to really make it feel like yours.

00:38:48 ◼   ► I mentioned Squarespace email campaigns.

00:38:50 ◼   ► You can encourage your visitors to sign up as email subscribers and start them on the

00:38:54 ◼   ► journey to becoming loyal customers.

00:38:56 ◼   ► Again, you choose one of the beautiful templates, you customize it the way that you want.

00:39:00 ◼   ► Plus, every email that you send out has built in analytics to measure the impact of every

00:39:06 ◼   ► send.

00:39:07 ◼   ► What about those online stores?

00:39:08 ◼   ► Whether you sell physical or digital goods, Squarespace has all of the tools and integrations

00:39:13 ◼   ► that you need to start selling online and then to help you with all of the insights you're

00:39:17 ◼   ► going to need to grow your business so you can see what your most popular products are,

00:39:22 ◼   ► which channels that are most effective for you and you can turn that into a marketing

00:39:25 ◼   ► plan.

00:39:26 ◼   ► I have been using Squarespace for nearly 15 years, I think, and I've built so many websites

00:39:32 ◼   ► of them because when I have something I want to put online, it's the first place I go because

00:39:35 ◼   ► what I want to do is get my ideas out into the world and they make it so incredibly simple

00:39:40 ◼   ► to do so.

00:39:41 ◼   ► Go to squarespace.com/cortex and you can sign up for a free trial with no credit card required.

00:39:47 ◼   ► When you're ready to launch, use the offer code "CORTEX" to save 10% off your first

00:39:52 ◼   ► purchase of a website or domain.

00:39:54 ◼   ► That is squarespace.com/cortex.

00:39:56 ◼   ► Then when you sign up, use the offer code "CORTEX" to get 10% off your first purchase

00:40:01 ◼   ► and show your support for the show.

00:40:02 ◼   ► Our thanks to Squarespace for their support of this show and all of Relay FM.

00:40:06 ◼   ► Alright, let's move into our work devices.

00:40:09 ◼   ► Okay, work stuff.

00:40:11 ◼   ► So we should start with computers.

00:40:12 ◼   ► Yes.

00:40:13 ◼   ► I'm assuming like me, you have what you would consider like a desktop and a laptop.

00:40:20 ◼   ► Don't make assumptions about me, Mike.

00:40:22 ◼   ► Tell me what you have then.

00:40:23 ◼   ► So I have a desktop and I have a laptop.

00:40:25 ◼   ► Okay, that makes sense.

00:40:26 ◼   ► Yeah, yeah.

00:40:26 ◼   ► Well, okay.

00:40:27 ◼   ► So look, just like with the phones, I also made the decision a little while ago of like,

00:40:34 ◼   ► I'm only buying laptops from here on out.

00:40:37 ◼   ► So I am talking to you on a desktop, but this is like a legacy desktop, right?

00:40:42 ◼   ► This is my "writing computer" iMac Pro, which is the last desktop computer I have

00:40:50 ◼   ► or ever will purchase.

00:40:51 ◼   ► And it is now my last Intel computer as well, which is like increasingly annoying every

00:40:56 ◼   ► day.

00:40:57 ◼   ► But I just made the decision of like, I'm just getting laptops from here on out.

00:41:00 ◼   ► Apple has finally solved the external display annoyances, which were always a hesitation

00:41:05 ◼   ► for years, like they've fixed that.

00:41:07 ◼   ► What a funny coincidence that they did that after they started making displays.

00:41:11 ◼   ► I'm sure that's completely unrelated, but yeah, so I'm just sticking with laptops

00:41:15 ◼   ► from here on out because I like the modularity of being able to like swap them around or

00:41:19 ◼   ► do different things with them.

00:41:20 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:41:20 ◼   ► Are you still working on that gold iMac that you got or like what's your setup?

00:41:24 ◼   ► So the gold iMac is sitting in a box and that is going to go home at some point.

00:41:31 ◼   ► I'm going to make that a home computer for me.

00:41:33 ◼   ► My quote unquote desktop is a MacBook Pro.

00:41:36 ◼   ► Okay.

00:41:38 ◼   ► So I have a 14 inch M1 Max MacBook Pro that is in a docked position.

00:41:43 ◼   ► It's in one of those 12 South Book Art stands.

00:41:46 ◼   ► I've got the same one.

00:41:48 ◼   ► Yep.

00:41:48 ◼   ► That's great.

00:41:49 ◼   ► It's attached to an OWC Thunderbolt dock, which I have just for all of my various IO

00:41:55 ◼   ► for all of my audio gear and stuff.

00:41:57 ◼   ► And then two monitors that I have.

00:42:00 ◼   ► So I have a Dell monitor and an LG monitor.

00:42:03 ◼   ► These were both monitors that I had while I was waiting for Apple to produce the studio

00:42:08 ◼   ► display.

00:42:09 ◼   ► And so one day I will replace these monitors, but now I'm kind of waiting to see if there's

00:42:14 ◼   ► a new monitor from Apple.

00:42:16 ◼   ► I would like a pro monitor.

00:42:20 ◼   ► Like I would like a monitor that has promotion.

00:42:23 ◼   ► I would like a monitor that's maybe mini mini led and I think they will make it.

00:42:27 ◼   ► And so I'm probably just going to wait until they make something, which is not the pro

00:42:30 ◼   ► display XDR.

00:42:31 ◼   ► Oh, okay.

00:42:32 ◼   ► So you're looking for a monitor that sits in between studio display pro or something,

00:42:36 ◼   ► which I'm very convinced they will make, but it might just be a case of me waiting.

00:42:40 ◼   ► But like these two are good for me.

00:42:41 ◼   ► And I moved to the two display lifestyle at one point.

00:42:44 ◼   ► It was like an experiment and for my recording machine, which is what I consider to be my

00:42:48 ◼   ► desktop computer.

00:42:49 ◼   ► So I record and edit my podcasts on.

00:42:52 ◼   ► I have one monitor in landscape and one monitor in portrait and the portrait monitor always

00:42:58 ◼   ► has my recording app and my video or audio calling app on it.

00:43:04 ◼   ► Right.

00:43:04 ◼   ► So I can just look at them and always see that the counters are running and all that

00:43:08 ◼   ► kind of stuff.

00:43:09 ◼   ► So, and then that's just over there and I can't do anything to it.

00:43:12 ◼   ► And then everything else that I'm doing will be on the main display.

00:43:15 ◼   ► And so I'm, I'm happy with that set up.

00:43:17 ◼   ► And whenever I do change, I would probably always keep a second monitor around.

00:43:23 ◼   ► But that 14 inch MacBook pro was my laptop until Apple released the 13 inch M2 MacBook

00:43:31 ◼   ► Air, which is my laptop and is my favorite Mac ever made.

00:43:36 ◼   ► It is the most perfect blend of power and portability that I've ever experienced.

00:43:42 ◼   ► And like, I was very happy with my Mac Pro and I saw the MacBook Air, like Apple sent

00:43:47 ◼   ► me one for review and I was like, well, I put this in my backpack and I don't even know

00:43:51 ◼   ► it's in there.

00:43:52 ◼   ► It's like perfect.

00:43:53 ◼   ► Cause I do take a laptop home and to the studio every day.

00:43:57 ◼   ► Like I do that.

00:43:57 ◼   ► And the MacBook Air is usually docked on the second desk that I use, which is when I'm

00:44:03 ◼   ► not recording or editing, I don't sit at the desk that I'm on.

00:44:06 ◼   ► It's like surrounded by kind of like you read like a lot of audio stuff.

00:44:10 ◼   ► Like I have curtains, acoustic curtains, and I don't like, I feel like I'm shut in this

00:44:14 ◼   ► little cave rather than out in the studio.

00:44:17 ◼   ► So I sit at a different desk.

00:44:18 ◼   ► You've got a cozy recording space.

00:44:20 ◼   ► Exactly, which is best for audio, but it's not necessarily conducive to a comfortable

00:44:25 ◼   ► all day working environment when I'm like prepping for shows, doing emails, doing Quotx

00:44:30 ◼   ► brand work and stuff like that.

00:44:31 ◼   ► And I have a bigger desk for that.

00:44:32 ◼   ► That MacBook Air when I'm at that desk is plugged into a Apple studio display and I'm

00:44:39 ◼   ► very happy with that.

00:44:40 ◼   ► So that's kind of like my lineup.

00:44:42 ◼   ► And then, you know, that laptop will go with me when I'm at home, any trip that I take,

00:44:47 ◼   ► I will just take the MacBook Air and it's perfectly suited for anything I throw at it.

00:44:51 ◼   ► Yeah, I have a confession to make, which is that you showed me that MacBook Air.

00:44:57 ◼   ► It was the first time I had ever seen one and I was sold on it immediately.

00:45:03 ◼   ► I knew you were going to buy one when I saw the way you turned it over in your hands.

00:45:07 ◼   ► It's just, uh, it's like, man, sometimes they make just a perfect balance of things.

00:45:13 ◼   ► And that was, that was it.

00:45:15 ◼   ► I was so impressed with that computer just in person.

00:45:18 ◼   ► And I did happen to have this place in my life where I did kind of need a new computer

00:45:24 ◼   ► because in my basement writing area, I had a computer.

00:45:29 ◼   ► Okay.

00:45:31 ◼   ► I don't even know how this computer, uh, this laptop had stuck with me all these years.

00:45:35 ◼   ► I was like, Oh, I need, I am.

00:45:36 ◼   ► I want to set up my basement office.

00:45:38 ◼   ► I need to find a spare laptop and I have like some ones that are just broken.

00:45:42 ◼   ► Like they literally don't turn on, but the only laptop I had that still worked was so

00:45:49 ◼   ► old, it had the UK style keyboard on it, which meant, Oh, this was around at the point when

00:45:56 ◼   ► I was still transitioning out of like working as a teacher because I had to use the UK keyboards

00:46:02 ◼   ► and I like readjusted myself to just use them everywhere.

00:46:05 ◼   ► So it's like, I don't even know how old that computer was, but I was like, okay, into the

00:46:09 ◼   ► basement you go, cause I just need you as a writing computer down there, but it was fine.

00:46:15 ◼   ► But even for the task of just typing in a text file while running an external display, that

00:46:20 ◼   ► computer was having some problems.

00:46:22 ◼   ► And the moment I saw that MacBook Air, I think my very first question to you was about like,

00:46:27 ◼   ► does it run external displays well, Mike?

00:46:28 ◼   ► And you're like, it does.

00:46:29 ◼   ► Mentally sold.

00:46:31 ◼   ► So I got one of those things as well.

00:46:33 ◼   ► And boy, it has been great for just like a couple of little like overnight trips that

00:46:39 ◼   ► we've done, like to be able to take that instead of the regular, like MacBook Pro is so nice.

00:46:46 ◼   ► I agree with you.

00:46:46 ◼   ► It's basically a perfect laptop.

00:46:48 ◼   ► I'm still really happy to have the MacBook Pro as the quote desktop computer to do stuff

00:46:53 ◼   ► like video renders, but that MacBook Air is going to be like, okay, you live in the basement.

00:46:59 ◼   ► You are most of the time just a writing computer connected to an external display.

00:47:04 ◼   ► But if I've ever got to travel anywhere, like that is the laptop that is coming with me.

00:47:08 ◼   ► No questions asked.

00:47:09 ◼   ► It is so good.

00:47:10 ◼   ► I hope they keep that form factor forever.

00:47:13 ◼   ► I can't imagine changing it now.

00:47:15 ◼   ► Like this feels like the laptop that was born out of Apple Silicon.

00:47:19 ◼   ► You know, if you think about it, they tried to do something similar to this, the MacBook,

00:47:25 ◼   ► the 12-inch MacBook, and it was compromised.

00:47:27 ◼   ► Yeah, that's true.

00:47:28 ◼   ► So many ways and in a way that this one just isn't.

00:47:31 ◼   ► And I think it's because they can control the whole power consumption piece and the

00:47:36 ◼   ► battery life and everything because they have more control over the silicon that's going

00:47:40 ◼   ► in it, total control.

00:47:41 ◼   ► So I think this is the laptop that was born out of that.

00:47:44 ◼   ► Yeah, I think my mental framing of it is more like, this is the platonic ideal of what the

00:47:50 ◼   ► MacBook Air was always supposed to be.

00:47:52 ◼   ► As someone who purchased and massively regretted that very first MacBook Air, I was like, this

00:47:58 ◼   ► is what I always wanted it to be.

00:48:00 ◼   ► And they knocked it out of the park with that one.

00:48:02 ◼   ► As audio professionals, we have audio gear.

00:48:07 ◼   ► We do.

00:48:07 ◼   ► I'm not going to run through every single piece that I own, but I think the three most

00:48:13 ◼   ► important parts for me are my microphone, my audio interface and my headphones.

00:48:17 ◼   ► These three items that I am going to suggest, these are not recommendations for the listener

00:48:24 ◼   ► to buy.

00:48:24 ◼   ► These are what I use as a professional.

00:48:28 ◼   ► My microphone is the Neumann KMS 105.

00:48:32 ◼   ► I love this microphone because it does the best job of making me sound like me, which

00:48:39 ◼   ► when you edit yourself hours and hours of yourself, I find that to be more acceptable.

00:48:46 ◼   ► When I hear myself through his microphone, it sounds like how my voice sounds.

00:48:50 ◼   ► Where other microphones I've used may make me sound too bassy.

00:48:53 ◼   ► And I don't like that sound.

00:48:55 ◼   ► But the Neumann does a good job.

00:48:57 ◼   ► It is an XLR microphone.

00:48:59 ◼   ► It doesn't plug in via USB-C.

00:49:01 ◼   ► So I have to have an interface to turn that analog signal into a digital one.

00:49:05 ◼   ► And I use a product called the Sound Devices USB Pre 2.

00:49:08 ◼   ► What I like about this is it is a very customizable piece of equipment, but all of the customization

00:49:16 ◼   ► is done on the equipment.

00:49:17 ◼   ► There's no software.

00:49:18 ◼   ► That's really good for me because I've owned this thing now for probably near, I've owned

00:49:25 ◼   ► this thing for 10 years.

00:49:26 ◼   ► And I don't intend to ever buy another one of them.

00:49:30 ◼   ► It will keep working until it breaks and no software is going to outdate it.

00:49:34 ◼   ► And my headphones are the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro.

00:49:39 ◼   ► For me, it's not about audio quality.

00:49:43 ◼   ► Like lots of people talk about the audio quality of these headphones.

00:49:46 ◼   ► That's not so important to me.

00:49:47 ◼   ► These are very comfortable.

00:49:49 ◼   ► Oh, okay.

00:49:50 ◼   ► Yeah, I'm looking at them.

00:49:51 ◼   ► They look extremely padded.

00:49:55 ◼   ► Yes, they're very padded.

00:49:56 ◼   ► That's the most important part to me because like on days like today, I will wear these

00:50:01 ◼   ► headphones for like four or five hours without a break.

00:50:05 ◼   ► So I want something that is really comfortable.

00:50:08 ◼   ► It doesn't press on my head too much.

00:50:09 ◼   ► They're very soft.

00:50:11 ◼   ► They also have a coiled cable, which is helpful for getting out of the way of stuff.

00:50:15 ◼   ► Yeah, coiled cables are nice.

00:50:18 ◼   ► This is one of those cases where I kind of feel like I have sort of general principles

00:50:23 ◼   ► around stuff.

00:50:25 ◼   ► I'm generally trying to do like fewer things but better things.

00:50:29 ◼   ► But the fewer is more important.

00:50:32 ◼   ► And this is one of these cases where I'm just using the Apple Studio headphones.

00:50:37 ◼   ► The AirPods Pro Max.

00:50:39 ◼   ► Yeah, the AirPods Max.

00:50:41 ◼   ► The AirPods Pro Max Studio.

00:50:44 ◼   ► Right, ultra overhead headphones.

00:50:47 ◼   ► Metal Edition, I think is the full name for them.

00:50:50 ◼   ► Because this is just one of these areas of like, I just don't want to have multiple

00:50:54 ◼   ► sets of headphones around.

00:50:56 ◼   ► Like I already have the little AirPods and I have an overhead set.

00:51:00 ◼   ► And this is a case of like, I'd rather have fewer things.

00:51:03 ◼   ► So I'll take the headphones that have some compromises like the Apple head over your

00:51:07 ◼   ► headphones.

00:51:08 ◼   ► They're obviously not amazing for podcasting, but they're fine for podcasting.

00:51:13 ◼   ► And I'd rather just have fewer things in this one case.

00:51:17 ◼   ► That's what I'm using.

00:51:18 ◼   ► I like them.

00:51:18 ◼   ► I would never really recommend them for any kind of professional as a podcasting headphones.

00:51:24 ◼   ► But I do think they're overall like pretty good over your headphones.

00:51:27 ◼   ► But they do lose out on comfort over a long period of time.

00:51:32 ◼   ► Like I just can't wear them all day.

00:51:35 ◼   ► And it would be my number one request for Apple if and when they ever revise these things.

00:51:40 ◼   ► It's like, you've got to make them lighter Apple.

00:51:43 ◼   ► I don't know why they have to be so heavy.

00:51:46 ◼   ► Yeah, they are really truly excellent airplane headphones.

00:51:51 ◼   ► Yes.

00:51:53 ◼   ► They are- I do not like them for podcast recording headphones.

00:51:56 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:51:57 ◼   ► I think you've used them while traveling or have you changed your mind on that?

00:52:01 ◼   ► No, I- when I travel and record, I will use them.

00:52:04 ◼   ► Because it just means I don't have to bring two pairs of headphones on a trip.

00:52:08 ◼   ► Because I will want them in my bag for when I listen to things on planes.

00:52:13 ◼   ► I don't really want to have like a second set of headphones in my luggage.

00:52:17 ◼   ► So I will use them for that.

00:52:19 ◼   ► And so we'll have two of the world's most expensive cable just like hanging around.

00:52:25 ◼   ► That's also a thing where one of my other little principles with like stuff in your life is try

00:52:33 ◼   ► to pay attention to like things you use frequently or like small little annoyances.

00:52:39 ◼   ► I think people really underrate the increase in quality of life of like,

00:52:44 ◼   ► can you spend some money to fix in an everyday annoyance or like a high touch annoyance?

00:52:51 ◼   ► Like if you have some like light switch that you press every single day and it's not good,

00:52:56 ◼   ► like just, you know, go on YouTube and look into like how to change that.

00:53:00 ◼   ► It's totally worth doing those kinds of things.

00:53:02 ◼   ► I think people underrate how valuable it is to get rid of small annoyances.

00:53:07 ◼   ► And I just realized today while we were preparing for this show,

00:53:11 ◼   ► oh, I have a frequent annoyance, which is around the world's most expensive cable

00:53:17 ◼   ► to connect the Apple headphones to my audio interface, which is it's just a little too short.

00:53:24 ◼   ► And so it's always trailing over my keyboard and being slightly in the way.

00:53:29 ◼   ► And it's like, ah, right.

00:53:31 ◼   ► Pay attention to the things that annoy you in life.

00:53:33 ◼   ► For $3, I can buy a coiled extension cable for the headphone to plug that into.

00:53:40 ◼   ► And it's like, yes, I will do that.

00:53:42 ◼   ► I will fix this like tiny annoyance in my life that is there every time I'm recording a podcast

00:53:47 ◼   ► or recording audio for a video.

00:53:50 ◼   ► Just try to keep those things in mind.

00:53:51 ◼   ► But to round out my own audio equipment, I have the Shure SM58 microphone.

00:53:57 ◼   ► Why?

00:53:59 ◼   ► I cannot remember at all.

00:54:00 ◼   ► I just have this one now.

00:54:02 ◼   ► I like it.

00:54:03 ◼   ► And I know your favorite is that for my audio interface, I'm using the Zoom F6

00:54:10 ◼   ► multi-track field recorder, which I really like and is entirely appropriate to task.

00:54:16 ◼   ► Highly recommend it.

00:54:17 ◼   ► Super recommended for people that use boom mics in the field to get their 32-bit float recording.

00:54:25 ◼   ► Yep.

00:54:25 ◼   ► Yep.

00:54:26 ◼   ► It's great.

00:54:26 ◼   ► As it says on the website for those hard to reach places.

00:54:31 ◼   ► Yes, specifically designed for outdoor use and has six XLR inputs, which I only ever use one.

00:54:39 ◼   ► It's going to be super good when the apocalypse comes and your

00:54:43 ◼   ► sound recorder will still be left behind.

00:54:45 ◼   ► Yeah, it has a loop attachment for my belt so I can use it very easily with my ratchet belt.

00:54:51 ◼   ► Turns out this is part of the everyday carry.

00:54:59 ◼   ► We didn't even know.

00:55:01 ◼   ► Didn't even know.

00:55:02 ◼   ► What's he doing in this segment?

00:55:03 ◼   ► I mean, I know you make fun of me for using this thing.

00:55:05 ◼   ► I genuinely really do like it.

00:55:07 ◼   ► It has a little knob right on the front front so I can adjust my audio input.

00:55:11 ◼   ► I can like, it just, I don't know.

00:55:12 ◼   ► It has the buttons, physical buttons for the couple of things that I want to use.

00:55:16 ◼   ► No, I agree with all that.

00:55:17 ◼   ► Like I feel that way about my USB pre 2.

00:55:20 ◼   ► There are many products that exist that are not as extreme as the one that you have that

00:55:26 ◼   ► would give you those things, but like of all of the things in your audio environment that

00:55:31 ◼   ► calls me problems, that is maybe the fewest now.

00:55:34 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:55:34 ◼   ► And it's also for the same reason with yours of there's zero software component, right?

00:55:39 ◼   ► It's just like a couple of buttons.

00:55:40 ◼   ► I'm a big fan of Zoom.

00:55:42 ◼   ► Like Zoom now make a product which is more focused around podcasting.

00:55:49 ◼   ► Steven has one and I've been meaning to look into getting like I have a, uh, the Zoom H6,

00:55:56 ◼   ► which is what I take with me when I'm on the go, right?

00:55:59 ◼   ► It is my like field recorder, I suppose like my actual travel recording device.

00:56:05 ◼   ► Like I don't take my USB pre, uh, when I, cause that's, I would worry to break that.

00:56:10 ◼   ► And I've had a Zoom forever and this is what they're so good at.

00:56:13 ◼   ► Like is making products to be taken out into the world.

00:56:16 ◼   ► It is called the Podtrack P4. They actually now have a few products in this area and it

00:56:24 ◼   ► is just built a little bit more in the mind of podcast recording than what they usually do,

00:56:31 ◼   ► which is like music and TV production and that kind of stuff.

00:56:35 ◼   ► And just has a few really interesting features that, uh, just look really cool.

00:56:39 ◼   ► I think one of the things it does is it will allow you to record to an SD card at the same

00:56:46 ◼   ► time as using the USB.

00:56:47 ◼   ► Ooh, I could be immediately sold on that if that is a feature.

00:56:51 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:56:51 ◼   ► Okay.

00:56:52 ◼   ► So that was one of the things that I really liked about this product compared to some

00:56:57 ◼   ► of the other stuff that exists is that you can do both.

00:57:00 ◼   ► My field recorder does do dual recording, but only when it's being used as a field recorder,

00:57:06 ◼   ► not when it's being used as a USB interface.

00:57:08 ◼   ► So, okay.

00:57:09 ◼   ► I could totally be sold on switching out to the Podtrack P4 if that feature works as described.

00:57:14 ◼   ► Yeah.

00:57:14 ◼   ► Yeah, that would be great.

00:57:16 ◼   ► I'm a man who believes in the excessive input devices to computers.

00:57:20 ◼   ► Oh, okay.

00:57:21 ◼   ► My desk is covered with input devices.

00:57:23 ◼   ► Sitting in front of me, I have a mouse, a trackpad, a keyboard, and a drawing tablet.

00:57:28 ◼   ► Oh, the full suite.

00:57:29 ◼   ► I have the full compliment and I want to make my recommendations for each.

00:57:33 ◼   ► You just need a foot switch.

00:57:34 ◼   ► I have that now.

00:57:35 ◼   ► The stream deck foot switch thing.

00:57:37 ◼   ► Have you seen that?

00:57:38 ◼   ► No, I was just making a joke, but okay.

00:57:40 ◼   ► Yeah, I have one.

00:57:41 ◼   ► You know, you know the stream deck, the thing that you press the little buttons?

00:57:44 ◼   ► Yeah, I see people use this.

00:57:46 ◼   ► It's one of those things I've never quite felt like there's a place for this in my life,

00:57:51 ◼   ► but I get the idea of it.

00:57:52 ◼   ► But they make a stream deck pedal so you can, I don't know, run some shortcuts.

00:57:58 ◼   ► What they have it for is for like streamers to be able to hit the mute or whatever.

00:58:03 ◼   ► Okay, so it's a giant mute button.

00:58:05 ◼   ► All right, that makes sense.

00:58:06 ◼   ► But you can use it for a bunch of different things.

00:58:07 ◼   ► But it's like a bunch of switches on the floor that I'm activating with my feet is just,

00:58:13 ◼   ► sounds like trouble.

00:58:13 ◼   ► Yeah, it's just three.

00:58:14 ◼   ► But hey, like maybe to change scene or something, you know, like you're gaming,

00:58:18 ◼   ► you're in like a big gaming moment and you want to hit the button.

00:58:21 ◼   ► Make sure that you're, I don't know.

00:58:24 ◼   ► Don't break flow.

00:58:25 ◼   ► Exactly.

00:58:25 ◼   ► So my recommendation for drawing tablet is the same as it's been forever,

00:58:31 ◼   ► which is the Wacom Intuos Pro trackpad, Magic Trackpad.

00:58:35 ◼   ► I mean, of course, like why would I use anything else as the trackpad?

00:58:38 ◼   ► And I use this as mostly a secondary input device to my mouse.

00:58:42 ◼   ► So I use this for panning, zooming, scrolling.

00:58:45 ◼   ► This is really good for audio editing.

00:58:47 ◼   ► So like a lot of the time I will be, so this is how I have it.

00:58:50 ◼   ► I have my trackpad on the right, my drawing tablet on the left,

00:58:53 ◼   ► because I am cross dominant.

00:58:56 ◼   ► So I'll be doing like fine edits in Logic with the drawing tablet

00:59:01 ◼   ► and then zooming and panning around the trackpad.

00:59:03 ◼   ► And so like I'm using both hands.

00:59:05 ◼   ► That's really good.

00:59:06 ◼   ► I also use keyboard commands too, but like I like to have that kind of complement when

00:59:10 ◼   ► I'm editing.

00:59:10 ◼   ► So I'm like in it.

00:59:12 ◼   ► But for most of my kind of just general usage, I use a Logitech mouse.

00:59:17 ◼   ► I use the MX Master 3S.

00:59:20 ◼   ► So the MX Master 3 has been around forever.

00:59:23 ◼   ► It's my favorite mouse.

00:59:24 ◼   ► It's very comfortable.

00:59:25 ◼   ► It's got all the features that I like, but they recently added the 3S, which has a silent

00:59:31 ◼   ► click.

00:59:32 ◼   ► I just want to say you recommended this to me, I think on Mortex or I don't know when.

00:59:36 ◼   ► I bought that.

00:59:37 ◼   ► I am so happy you recommended that to me.

00:59:40 ◼   ► I have the MX Master 3 in my office, which love that mouse so good.

00:59:46 ◼   ► I really like the ability to like it has a horizontal scroll wheel next to your thumb.

00:59:51 ◼   ► And to me, that is that is the killer feature for doing the kind of stuff that you're talking

00:59:56 ◼   ► about doing with the trackpad.

00:59:57 ◼   ► Like the ability to horizontally scroll and vertically scroll and do like zoom in and

01:00:01 ◼   ► zoom out stuff with modifiers is amazing.

01:00:04 ◼   ► But I was so happy that you told me about that silent version because when I'm on the

01:00:09 ◼   ► couch, just like, you know, watching TV with my wife halfheartedly as I'm also doing something

01:00:15 ◼   ► on the computer.

01:00:15 ◼   ► I just hated having something making like click, click, click, click, click noises as

01:00:20 ◼   ► we're watching TV.

01:00:21 ◼   ► The new like 3S version, the silent version of that mouse.

01:00:25 ◼   ► I can't believe how silent it is while also still feeling satisfying to click.

01:00:32 ◼   ► That's the important part.

01:00:34 ◼   ► Yes, that's that's the killer part that I wasn't expecting is like I've used quiet

01:00:38 ◼   ► things before, but they've always felt mushy and terrible to use.

01:00:43 ◼   ► But this one is still satisfying to click.

01:00:45 ◼   ► I was like, oh, this is great.

01:00:46 ◼   ► This is amazing.

01:00:47 ◼   ► I use a lot of silent products for my recording environment, right?

01:00:51 ◼   ► So like my keyboard has silent switches in and they are good, but they don't feel as

01:00:55 ◼   ► good as the louder ones that I use.

01:00:57 ◼   ► But this one, it's like I actually prefer the click feel of the S to the regular MX

01:01:03 ◼   ► Master 3.

01:01:05 ◼   ► Yeah, I could conceivably switch over to that just entirely on my main desk.

01:01:10 ◼   ► I still have one of the regular MX Masters, but if I had to buy another one, I think I

01:01:13 ◼   ► actually would prefer the silent version.

01:01:15 ◼   ► It's like it's very satisfying to use in a way that I just would not have expected

01:01:19 ◼   ► at all.

01:01:20 ◼   ► Keyboards.

01:01:21 ◼   ► All right, so I get the impression, Mike, that you're quite experienced with keyboards.

01:01:26 ◼   ► So, you know, for me, I'm just a Keychron guy.

01:01:32 ◼   ► I've just like bought the same kind of model keyboard for forever.

01:01:35 ◼   ► But so I don't have the vast experience that you do with keyboards.

01:01:41 ◼   ► What are your thoughts here, Mike?

01:01:42 ◼   ► My favorite brand is a company called Mode.

01:01:45 ◼   ► Okay.

01:01:46 ◼   ► Their keyboard, the Mode Sonnet, is my favorite keyboard.

01:01:50 ◼   ► Absolutely.

01:01:52 ◼   ► Bar none.

01:01:52 ◼   ► It feels great to use.

01:01:54 ◼   ► It was pleasant to build.

01:01:55 ◼   ► Oh, you built this one.

01:01:56 ◼   ► Okay.

01:01:57 ◼   ► Yeah, it's a 75%.

01:01:58 ◼   ► And so what I like about that, because I have lots of various fun keycap styles, right?

01:02:04 ◼   ► Like different designs.

01:02:05 ◼   ► A 75% will allow me to show off the majority of a keycap set.

01:02:09 ◼   ► So like I like that.

01:02:11 ◼   ► And but it's compact.

01:02:13 ◼   ► Like I like the what's called a TKL where it's like bigger.

01:02:16 ◼   ► But the 75% is like the nice middle point.

01:02:19 ◼   ► So I like that kind of key layout.

01:02:21 ◼   ► It's got enough keys on it for me.

01:02:22 ◼   ► But they've done a really good job of making it into a small package with some really nice

01:02:27 ◼   ► design elements.

01:02:28 ◼   ► I really love the Mode Sonnet.

01:02:30 ◼   ► They have another product coming later on this year called the Envoy, which is a more

01:02:35 ◼   ► affordable keyboard that they also will sell as a full kit, including switches and keycaps.

01:02:40 ◼   ► I had the opportunity to try out a pre-production unit of the Envoy and really, really liked

01:02:49 ◼   ► it.

01:02:49 ◼   ► And I have one coming in a couple of months, I think.

01:02:52 ◼   ► I think this one could be just a very good default recommendation to people now because,

01:02:58 ◼   ► you know, it's not cheap, but it is not like wildly expensive as some of these keyboards

01:03:04 ◼   ► can get to.

01:03:05 ◼   ► But you can get from them like a full kit, which includes, you know, the full board,

01:03:12 ◼   ► the switches and everything for like around $300.

01:03:16 ◼   ► So you still have to assemble it, yeah?

01:03:18 ◼   ► But you're getting all of the parts in a package.

01:03:21 ◼   ► Yeah, I believe you still have to assemble it.

01:03:24 ◼   ► But the assembly for this keyboard is maybe one of the easiest that I have experienced.

01:03:29 ◼   ► Like they've done a really good job of doing that.

01:03:32 ◼   ► But this keyboard as well is like easily customized too, which I think is very interesting.

01:03:39 ◼   ► Like they've built this system of kind of like how bouncy or stiff you want the typing

01:03:45 ◼   ► to feel.

01:03:46 ◼   ► And the way that you do that customization is very, very simple in a way that I think

01:03:50 ◼   ► would encourage people to do even if they weren't very familiar with building keyboards.

01:03:55 ◼   ► So I really like, I really, really like what they do.

01:03:58 ◼   ► One of my favorite things of Mode stuff is that you can configure them with a bunch of

01:04:02 ◼   ► different design stuff and they have a full configurator on their website so you can see

01:04:06 ◼   ► how it's all going to look.

01:04:07 ◼   ► They are my choice.

01:04:09 ◼   ► Like they make my favorite keyboards.

01:04:10 ◼   ► Yeah, I was just playing around with the configurator for a bunch of options.

01:04:14 ◼   ► I don't know what they are.

01:04:15 ◼   ► It looks good.

01:04:17 ◼   ► I'm intrigued by this layout just a little bit because I do like having just a tiny bit

01:04:23 ◼   ► of space for the arrow keys and for the function keys.

01:04:26 ◼   ► Like I really like these Keychron keyboards that I use, which I think it's basically

01:04:30 ◼   ► the same layout.

01:04:31 ◼   ► It's just a little bit more compressed.

01:04:32 ◼   ► But if there could just be like a tiny bit of space to physically distinguish the arrow

01:04:38 ◼   ► keys, which I'm using constantly, that would be nice.

01:04:41 ◼   ► An exploded layout.

01:04:43 ◼   ► Oh, is that the term for it?

01:04:44 ◼   ► Okay.

01:04:44 ◼   ► Like the Keychron Q1.

01:04:47 ◼   ► I like the Keychron Q series of keyboards.

01:04:50 ◼   ► They are customizable keyboards, right?

01:04:54 ◼   ► They're more akin to the types of things that I make.

01:04:57 ◼   ► You can take them apart and do some modding and fun stuff with them.

01:05:00 ◼   ► Keychron has done a great job of leaning into it and like becoming a really good starting

01:05:04 ◼   ► point.

01:05:05 ◼   ► But their 75% has an exploded layout.

01:05:08 ◼   ► But I tend not to like the visual of that because it ruins the like lines, I think.

01:05:14 ◼   ► Yeah, I was like, I like this layout less because I don't want the arrow keys lower.

01:05:19 ◼   ► That's why I like the other one.

01:05:20 ◼   ► I like the look of that better.

01:05:21 ◼   ► I just need a tiny bit of space.

01:05:24 ◼   ► I don't actually, I think I might find that annoying that the, especially if they're

01:05:28 ◼   ► half offset like that, the arrow keys are 50% lower to create the space.

01:05:33 ◼   ► I think I would not find that pleasant at all.

01:05:35 ◼   ► I think that would be irritating.

01:05:36 ◼   ► Especially when switching between typing on like the Apple keyboards.

01:05:41 ◼   ► I wouldn't.

01:05:42 ◼   ► Yeah, I think I would find that no bueno.

01:05:44 ◼   ► I think probably worth mentioning, I reckon this is going to become a thing maybe more

01:05:49 ◼   ► into the future even than it is now when it comes to work devices, VR headsets.

01:05:54 ◼   ► So we both have the, I guess for work focuses, the MetaQuest Pro.

01:05:59 ◼   ► Yes, we do.

01:06:01 ◼   ► And people know that from this, from the special that we just put out about how amazing they

01:06:06 ◼   ► are.

01:06:06 ◼   ► Pinning that for the future, really.

01:06:08 ◼   ► It's like when we revisit state of the hardware in the future, I wonder if that point is going

01:06:13 ◼   ► to change.

01:06:14 ◼   ► I would say yes, but I don't know.

01:06:16 ◼   ► Yeah, I predict that that's going to change in the future.

01:06:19 ◼   ► But yeah, if you, if you want to hear our thoughts on that, we recorded an entire special

01:06:25 ◼   ► episode about it.

01:06:26 ◼   ► This episode of Cortex is brought to you by Memberful.

01:06:30 ◼   ► Memberful is the easiest way to start selling memberships to your audience, letting you

01:06:34 ◼   ► build sustainable, recurring revenue and is used by the biggest independent creators on

01:06:39 ◼   ► the web.

01:06:40 ◼   ► Maybe you have an existing membership set up, but it's getting too complicated to manage

01:06:45 ◼   ► and you want to simplify things so you can get back to focusing on what you are best

01:06:49 ◼   ► at.

01:06:50 ◼   ► Well, Memberful has everything that you need to run a membership program efficiently and

01:06:55 ◼   ► fantastically, including a streamlined and powerful checkout, easy to use member portal,

01:07:01 ◼   ► transaction emails and a member management dashboard.

01:07:05 ◼   ► Memberful seamlessly integrates with the tools that you already use, including MailChimp,

01:07:09 ◼   ► WordPress, Stripe, Discord and more.

01:07:12 ◼   ► They really do make these integrations incredibly simple, which I love.

01:07:17 ◼   ► We use Memberful Relay FM to power our membership program.

01:07:20 ◼   ► You've heard us talk about Moretext a bunch of times on the show.

01:07:23 ◼   ► That's how we use it.

01:07:24 ◼   ► And so when someone signs up for Moretext, they get the ability to be added to our members

01:07:28 ◼   ► Discord, which is just for them.

01:07:29 ◼   ► And Memberful's integration with Discord means that we don't have to do any management

01:07:32 ◼   ► of that, which is fantastic.

01:07:33 ◼   ► There's nothing manual in that process of bringing people in.

01:07:36 ◼   ► And also with Memberful, we have the ability to deliver podcast feeds so we can have exclusive

01:07:42 ◼   ► members only content that people get when they sign up.

01:07:45 ◼   ► And it's really easy for them to grab those feeds, put them in their podcast app of choice.

01:07:49 ◼   ► And it's super simple.

01:07:50 ◼   ► We love that.

01:07:51 ◼   ► It's obviously an important part of what we do at Relay FM and Memberful makes that incredibly

01:07:55 ◼   ► easy.

01:07:56 ◼   ► Go and get started for free today.

01:07:58 ◼   ► There is no credit card required.

01:08:00 ◼   ► Go to memberful.com/cortex.

01:08:02 ◼   ► Go there right now and check it out at memberful.com/cortex.

01:08:06 ◼   ► This could be the start of something exciting.

01:08:09 ◼   ► Our thanks to Memberful for their support of this show and all of Relay FM.

01:08:13 ◼   ► So we've spoken about the tools that we use for work.

01:08:17 ◼   ► We typically use these tools in our offices, but there are a lot of different physical

01:08:22 ◼   ► things in an office.

01:08:24 ◼   ► Desks, chairs, all that kind of stuff.

01:08:26 ◼   ► Spiders, if you're working in the basements.

01:08:28 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:08:28 ◼   ► Roombas, air purifiers.

01:08:31 ◼   ► What desk are you using in your life?

01:08:33 ◼   ► I think we're both using the same thing, which is the fully Jarvis model for the standing

01:08:38 ◼   ► desk, which it looks like when I was trying to do the links today, it looks like they've

01:08:42 ◼   ► been acquired by Herman Miller.

01:08:43 ◼   ► Yes.

01:08:43 ◼   ► Which is interesting because I'm using the Herman Miller Embody chair as well.

01:08:48 ◼   ► So it looks like Herman Miller is trying to corner the market for this kind of stuff.

01:08:53 ◼   ► It's no longer fully.

01:08:55 ◼   ► It's now just the Jarvis desk from Herman Miller.

01:08:58 ◼   ► This happened like a month ago.

01:09:00 ◼   ► Okay.

01:09:01 ◼   ► So did the fully company get completely absorbed?

01:09:04 ◼   ► I believe so.

01:09:05 ◼   ► Okay.

01:09:06 ◼   ► Right.

01:09:06 ◼   ► Because I was wondering, because so standing desks are fantastic.

01:09:11 ◼   ► I'm really happy to have the option to use them that way.

01:09:15 ◼   ► But there's one thing that I was trying to find that fully made a product that I think

01:09:19 ◼   ► must have gotten destroyed in the acquisition.

01:09:21 ◼   ► I think they called it like their TikTok, but the generic term for this is a balance

01:09:28 ◼   ► board.

01:09:28 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:09:29 ◼   ► This is a thing where if you're going to have a standing desk, I bought this on a whim,

01:09:35 ◼   ► but it turned out to be a critical piece for the standing desk.

01:09:39 ◼   ► And it is just this little thing.

01:09:40 ◼   ► It's like a seesaw that you're standing on while you're working at the desk.

01:09:44 ◼   ► And I don't know why, but it just gives you this little somehow slightly balancing is

01:09:53 ◼   ► physically easier to do for a long period of time while you're standing and working

01:09:57 ◼   ► than just standing.

01:09:59 ◼   ► I was just going on Amazon trying to find one that looks similar.

01:10:02 ◼   ► I think the key is you want one that's low profile.

01:10:05 ◼   ► So you don't want one that looks like this is actually an exercise in balance.

01:10:11 ◼   ► You want something that's like a very low profile legs on a rocking horse kind of thing.

01:10:16 ◼   ► Like that's what I have.

01:10:17 ◼   ► And it's great.

01:10:18 ◼   ► Every time I put the standing desk up, if I'm not actively walking on the treadmill,

01:10:23 ◼   ► I want to be standing on that little balance board and it makes all of the difference in

01:10:26 ◼   ► the world for using a standing desk in upright mode.

01:10:28 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:10:29 ◼   ► I think trying to do some googling, it may have been called the float deck.

01:10:34 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:10:35 ◼   ► Something like that.

01:10:36 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:10:36 ◼   ► I don't know.

01:10:37 ◼   ► The only reason I was trying to find it is it's the lowest profile one of these I've

01:10:41 ◼   ► ever seen.

01:10:42 ◼   ► And I just think that makes a big difference.

01:10:43 ◼   ► It's just like very slight balance.

01:10:46 ◼   ► And all of the other balance boards seem much more like, oh, we're trying to give you

01:10:50 ◼   ► a core workout while you're at your desk.

01:10:52 ◼   ► Yeah, this isn't for yoga.

01:10:54 ◼   ► Yes.

01:10:54 ◼   ► It's just so your feet don't get tired standing all day.

01:10:56 ◼   ► I found it just significantly more effective than mats that they often try to sell you

01:11:01 ◼   ► with a standing desk.

01:11:02 ◼   ► Like here, stand on a mat.

01:11:03 ◼   ► I find that makes no difference at all in terms of tiredness.

01:11:07 ◼   ► Whereas the like a low profile balance board is perfect.

01:11:10 ◼   ► Okay.

01:11:10 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:11:11 ◼   ► I use the fully Jarvis desks too.

01:11:14 ◼   ► I have a couple here in the studio.

01:11:15 ◼   ► I like their bamboo one, which they do still sell.

01:11:18 ◼   ► And I use that and have used Herman Miller M body chairs forever.

01:11:23 ◼   ► This is one of those things where like, if I could give a piece of advice, it is to,

01:11:31 ◼   ► if you're working at home to invest as much as you can into a good chair.

01:11:35 ◼   ► Yes.

01:11:37 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:11:37 ◼   ► Because I did the thing where I went on Amazon and I bought a 200 pound chair.

01:11:43 ◼   ► And after a year, the hydraulics went.

01:11:46 ◼   ► What I like about Herman Miller is while they are expensive, they have a very good long

01:11:53 ◼   ► manufacturer's guarantee.

01:11:55 ◼   ► So like I've had Herman Miller chairs for eight or nine years.

01:12:01 ◼   ► One of mine, the chair is stuck at my height, which is fine because it's my height, but

01:12:09 ◼   ► it means the chair isn't working.

01:12:10 ◼   ► And we contacted Herman Miller and we were arranging for them to take it away and fix

01:12:15 ◼   ► it.

01:12:15 ◼   ► And like, they're just going to fix it.

01:12:16 ◼   ► So like it falls within their warranty.

01:12:18 ◼   ► The Herman Miller warranty is like one of the great parts about it, but the chairs are

01:12:23 ◼   ► just super good.

01:12:24 ◼   ► I've used the Embody forever is my huge recommendation.

01:12:29 ◼   ► They're nicely customizable.

01:12:30 ◼   ► They make them for gamers now.

01:12:31 ◼   ► If you need your chair to be a gamer's chair, they make Herman Miller Embody gamers chairs.

01:12:37 ◼   ► So, you know.

01:12:37 ◼   ► What does that mean?

01:12:40 ◼   ► It just looks a little bit different.

01:12:42 ◼   ► Okay.

01:12:42 ◼   ► Is it just an aesthetic look?

01:12:43 ◼   ► They just made it look more gamer-y.

01:12:46 ◼   ► It really is just the Herman Miller Embody for gamers.

01:12:50 ◼   ► I know you keep saying that, but it's like, when you say for gamers, I just imagine,

01:12:54 ◼   ► oh, so it's like pink and black or something.

01:12:56 ◼   ► Like that's what it is.

01:12:57 ◼   ► Okay.

01:12:57 ◼   ► Number one in the FAQ.

01:12:59 ◼   ► How is this chair different?

01:13:00 ◼   ► We've teamed up with Logitech to make updates.

01:13:04 ◼   ► Seat has an additional layer of foam to support your posture while you play.

01:13:08 ◼   ► And we developed new technology to keep you cool.

01:13:11 ◼   ► There really isn't barely any, there's barely any difference.

01:13:14 ◼   ► It's like a little bit smushier, I guess.

01:13:17 ◼   ► And that's it.

01:13:17 ◼   ► That's because you don't need to change the chair, right?

01:13:22 ◼   ► Like that, that's the whole thing.

01:13:23 ◼   ► They've just updated the design a little bit to make it look more gamer-y.

01:13:28 ◼   ► Oh, okay.

01:13:28 ◼   ► I see what you mean.

01:13:29 ◼   ► It does look cooler.

01:13:31 ◼   ► It does look gamer-y, right?

01:13:32 ◼   ► Right.

01:13:32 ◼   ► But like, that's the whole point of like, if you're going to make a gamer's version,

01:13:36 ◼   ► it's already the perfect chair.

01:13:39 ◼   ► So like, you don't need to change it.

01:13:42 ◼   ► So I agree with you on this chair.

01:13:44 ◼   ► I also agree that this is the home office purchase that you do need to kind of bully

01:13:49 ◼   ► people into.

01:13:49 ◼   ► And everyone always says, I should have done this sooner.

01:13:53 ◼   ► Is like, buy a good chair.

01:13:55 ◼   ► If you are working at home, buy a good chair.

01:13:58 ◼   ► I think the good chair matters significantly more than a good desk.

01:14:02 ◼   ► Like, it's funny, I had family was just visiting recently and my cousin had been

01:14:07 ◼   ► traveling in Europe and he was like way behind on work.

01:14:11 ◼   ► And while he was here, I was like, Hey man, you can just like use my office.

01:14:15 ◼   ► It's like, you know, have an actual place to just like work in the mornings.

01:14:19 ◼   ► Cause like I'm downstairs in the basement, like this space is free.

01:14:22 ◼   ► And his number one thing is like, he's like, Oh, I could cry sitting in an actual

01:14:27 ◼   ► proper chair again, doing work as opposed to try and like work at, you know, at

01:14:32 ◼   ► random cafes.

01:14:33 ◼   ► He's like, Oh, this is, this is amazing.

01:14:35 ◼   ► Like, thank you so much.

01:14:37 ◼   ► And the chair was the big deal of like, he works at home and he has a regular chair

01:14:41 ◼   ► and like, once you don't have it, you realize like how hard it is on your body

01:14:46 ◼   ► working in a chair that's not perfectly designed for you.

01:14:49 ◼   ► I used to have the, uh, the Aeron, I think is how they say it.

01:14:53 ◼   ► It's their older office chair.

01:14:55 ◼   ► And at some point, I can't remember.

01:14:57 ◼   ► I think when I left the glass cube, I tried out the Embody and the Embody is a

01:15:01 ◼   ► significant improvement.

01:15:03 ◼   ► The only thing I do wonder about is I, I do wish it had a headrest.

01:15:09 ◼   ► That's the old, that's why when you said gamer chair, I was a bit like, I was

01:15:14 ◼   ► hoping for a headrest and I would, I would seriously consider buying it.

01:15:18 ◼   ► It's the only thing that I know most of the time you don't actually need a

01:15:23 ◼   ► headrest when you're sitting at a chair and it's all set up properly, but I do

01:15:27 ◼   ► feel like it's something that's missing.

01:15:30 ◼   ► And if they made the Embody with a headrest, I would upgrade instantly.

01:15:34 ◼   ► Or it's the only thing that would make me think like, maybe I should just try

01:15:38 ◼   ► out some other chairs with a headrest and see how that is.

01:15:41 ◼   ► But yeah, so that, that is my only very minor complaint.

01:15:44 ◼   ► There is a company called Atlas Headrest who have made an aftermarket headrest.

01:15:51 ◼   ► Oh, okay.

01:15:53 ◼   ► For the gaming chair.

01:15:55 ◼   ► Oh no, for the gaming version.

01:15:57 ◼   ► All right.

01:15:57 ◼   ► I figure it will probably work on all of them because it's probably the same, but

01:16:03 ◼   ► like you got, maybe take a look, but like...

01:16:05 ◼   ► Okay, send me that link.

01:16:07 ◼   ► I want to check that out.

01:16:08 ◼   ► But there's this, I just Googled it and I came across it.

01:16:11 ◼   ► So you should, you should look at this.

01:16:13 ◼   ► Okay.

01:16:13 ◼   ► Because I imagined that there's probably quite a lot of people that feel the way

01:16:17 ◼   ► you do, especially now there's the gamers.

01:16:20 ◼   ► How does it connect?

01:16:21 ◼   ► I can't work it out either.

01:16:23 ◼   ► I'm like, hold on, I can't deal with the suspense.

01:16:27 ◼   ► Let me look at the back of my chair.

01:16:30 ◼   ► Where does this...

01:16:31 ◼   ► I don't understand how it fits.

01:16:32 ◼   ► Is there a thing that comes...

01:16:34 ◼   ► Oh!

01:16:35 ◼   ► I think it maybe just clips on to the back piece.

01:16:41 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:16:42 ◼   ► Okay.

01:16:42 ◼   ► The gamer chair might be different.

01:16:44 ◼   ► I will have to investigate more than in the middle of our podcast.

01:16:48 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:16:48 ◼   ► I think the gamer chair has a slightly different connector at the top, but I

01:16:53 ◼   ► can't tell if I just pull apart my chair if it has that same piece.

01:16:58 ◼   ► It's a little bit unclear to sell.

01:16:59 ◼   ► No, it's bolted on to the...

01:17:01 ◼   ► Oh, oh, I see.

01:17:02 ◼   ► Right?

01:17:02 ◼   ► They've done a good job of making it look like it was made by Herman Miller.

01:17:06 ◼   ► Oh, okay.

01:17:07 ◼   ► Right.

01:17:07 ◼   ► Thank you.

01:17:08 ◼   ► I would have pulled apart my chair to see where this plugs in.

01:17:11 ◼   ► It looks so integrated, I thought I was looking at a different part of it.

01:17:14 ◼   ► Okay.

01:17:15 ◼   ► Sold immediately.

01:17:16 ◼   ► I don't know how, but just try and triple check that it's not just for the gaming one.

01:17:23 ◼   ► Look, even if it's not for the other one, I'm going to try to make it fit.

01:17:25 ◼   ► I got a hammer.

01:17:27 ◼   ► I can make it fit.

01:17:28 ◼   ► And I'm sure you have a black chair, so they have a black one, so you probably don't even

01:17:33 ◼   ► need to worry.

01:17:34 ◼   ► Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:17:35 ◼   ► No, that's...

01:17:36 ◼   ► Okay, great.

01:17:36 ◼   ► Thank you.

01:17:37 ◼   ► I'm going to give that a shot.

01:17:38 ◼   ► Pro gamer.

01:17:39 ◼   ► Yeah, for all my stream.

01:17:40 ◼   ► Yeah, I mean, I understand why you would want that.

01:17:42 ◼   ► I've never wanted it, but you do that leaning back thing that you do when you think?

01:17:46 ◼   ► Oh, I guess that is the difference, yes.

01:17:48 ◼   ► I lean back much more.

01:17:50 ◼   ► Like I've seen you do it in VR, right?

01:17:52 ◼   ► When you're really thinking about something, you take a big lean back.

01:17:57 ◼   ► And so I could imagine you would like some headrest support in that moment.

01:18:01 ◼   ► Great.

01:18:02 ◼   ► I've just sent a message off to get that ordered for me.

01:18:06 ◼   ► I mentioned earlier about my charging woes for my devices.

01:18:11 ◼   ► I use a variety of products by close friends of the show, Studio Neat.

01:18:16 ◼   ► They make the material dock line of products.

01:18:19 ◼   ► Now, the products that they have now available are all focused around having a Qi charger,

01:18:25 ◼   ► having like MagSafe chargers built into the products.

01:18:28 ◼   ► But I used to use their products when it was you would like thread a lightning cable through.

01:18:35 ◼   ► Yes, I remember doing that, yep.

01:18:37 ◼   ► That's what I have.

01:18:38 ◼   ► Okay.

01:18:39 ◼   ► So I use those ones and I love them.

01:18:42 ◼   ► Eventually, I guess I will have to move to the upright charger that they have now when

01:18:47 ◼   ► the USB-C phone comes.

01:18:50 ◼   ► Although I am going to try and modify with a dremel or something.

01:18:56 ◼   ► No.

01:18:56 ◼   ► To see if I can get these things to work because they are perfect the way that they are.

01:19:00 ◼   ► But I will try.

01:19:03 ◼   ► It won't work, but I will try.

01:19:05 ◼   ► I might as well give it a go and see if I can fit a USB-C cable into this thing.

01:19:09 ◼   ► But they are what I use there.

01:19:11 ◼   ► And I wanted to just give two recommendations around charging solution things.

01:19:16 ◼   ► My preferred delivery of power is Anker stuff.

01:19:20 ◼   ► And Anker make a selection of the GaN charging products now where you can have like a couple

01:19:30 ◼   ► USB-C power delivery and a regular USB.

01:19:34 ◼   ► I just have one of those just plugged into a charging port on my desk and I can just

01:19:38 ◼   ► swap out cables and I really like them for that.

01:19:41 ◼   ► But my main recommendation is the Miros smart power strips.

01:19:47 ◼   ► This company, Miros, makes a surge protector, which you can turn on and off with HomeKit,

01:19:53 ◼   ► but you can also break out every plug into its own individual HomeKit addressable switch.

01:20:00 ◼   ► Oh, wow.

01:20:01 ◼   ► So it's like six power outlets and also USB.

01:20:05 ◼   ► They come as a group in HomeKit so you can turn it all on and off or you can break it

01:20:09 ◼   ► out into seven.

01:20:11 ◼   ► So you have six plugs and then the USBs.

01:20:14 ◼   ► Oh, wow.

01:20:15 ◼   ► That is killer.

01:20:15 ◼   ► Right.

01:20:16 ◼   ► And so you can have different automations for different things.

01:20:21 ◼   ► So like I have like an automation that if I have my there's one that's just called iPad

01:20:26 ◼   ► and it will just turn on and off at random parts in the day to keep the iPad charged.

01:20:31 ◼   ► I have at home, we have a lava lamp.

01:20:34 ◼   ► The lava lamp is plugged into one of these and it will just turn the lava lamp on and

01:20:38 ◼   ► off for a few hours in a day at home where I have like a bunch of I have like a basic

01:20:43 ◼   ► like the network closet, right?

01:20:45 ◼   ► It's just got like all kinds of things in there from the alarm system to the Internet

01:20:50 ◼   ► and all that kind of stuff.

01:20:51 ◼   ► And I have each of those set individually.

01:20:53 ◼   ► So if I need to power cycle one, I could just do it from my phone.

01:20:57 ◼   ► Miraost products are great and I'm a big fan of them.

01:21:01 ◼   ► I actually don't know if they are available outside the UK.

01:21:06 ◼   ► This might be one of the very rare things where it's UK only because I believe I believe

01:21:12 ◼   ► this product comes from the Hong Kong market, I think.

01:21:16 ◼   ► And we have the same power outlets if they are available outside.

01:21:20 ◼   ► Great.

01:21:21 ◼   ► But America, you have a ton of things.

01:21:24 ◼   ► Yeah, we haven't even gotten into the world of HomeKit stuff.

01:21:26 ◼   ► But this is always the great pain of living in the UK is there's so much cool HomeKit

01:21:32 ◼   ► stuff.

01:21:32 ◼   ► I'm like, oh, wow, I want that.

01:21:34 ◼   ► I was like, oh, it's not available in the UK.

01:21:36 ◼   ► But this is the one this is a great one that we can get.

01:21:39 ◼   ► Miraost, they make loads of HomeKit products as well.

01:21:44 ◼   ► Like they have like a whole set of things that they make.

01:21:46 ◼   ► Indoor and outdoor power solutions and like really they make some super cool stuff.

01:21:53 ◼   ► I've been very happy with my Miraost products.

01:21:55 ◼   ► Okay, well, I've got to check them out.

01:21:57 ◼   ► I've been HomeKitting up the house ever since that basement office.

01:22:00 ◼   ► So I'll see what other stuff they've got in there.

01:22:03 ◼   ► I will tease.

01:22:03 ◼   ► We are toying around with at some point in the not too distant future doing like a state

01:22:08 ◼   ► of the home as well.

01:22:09 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:22:10 ◼   ► For like home automation because I've done a little bit and I'm about to go much further

01:22:16 ◼   ► in a couple of months time.

01:22:17 ◼   ► So I wanted to not talk about that stuff today because I have lots of things that I still

01:22:23 ◼   ► have yet to implement.

01:22:24 ◼   ► Yeah, no, I agree.

01:22:25 ◼   ► I'm in the same space of like sort of halfway caught with a bunch of HomeKit stuff.

01:22:30 ◼   ► That's why it's like, oh, please like send me all of your companies that you know make

01:22:34 ◼   ► good HomeKit stuff that actually works in the UK.

01:22:37 ◼   ► This is one of them.

01:22:37 ◼   ► Yeah, the one that's still really killing me is like air filters.

01:22:40 ◼   ► I'm like, oh, come on, man.

01:22:41 ◼   ► Like there's got to be one.

01:22:43 ◼   ► Like an air purifier.

01:22:44 ◼   ► Yeah, air purifiers.

01:22:45 ◼   ► I haven't found one that's good and it's very frustrating.

01:22:48 ◼   ► Yeah, I would also like to know that.

01:22:50 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:22:51 ◼   ► Maybe people could write in and let us know.

01:22:53 ◼   ► We can leave this as an exercise to the cortexes.

01:22:55 ◼   ► Yeah, I think Mirose make a smart Wi-Fi air purifier works with Apple HomeKit.

01:22:59 ◼   ► Oh, okay.

01:23:00 ◼   ► Well, I'll check it out.

01:23:01 ◼   ► You look at that and let me know.

01:23:02 ◼   ► I will.

01:23:03 ◼   ► The thing that's been killing me is like the reason I was interested in just like, oh,

01:23:06 ◼   ► the sockets work with HomeKit is trying to like find stuff that if there's no UK version

01:23:12 ◼   ► of, oh, it's HomeKit, at least I could just control it with a socket.

01:23:15 ◼   ► So I have that with like a couple of space heaters.

01:23:17 ◼   ► But as far as like it tells, like all of the air purifiers, if you try to turn them on

01:23:22 ◼   ► with the socket, they like require some additional confirmation and I hate it.

01:23:26 ◼   ► I thought I had solved it with the exact same thing recently.

01:23:30 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:23:31 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:23:31 ◼   ► No, you still need to press the on button.

01:23:33 ◼   ► You turn it on.

01:23:34 ◼   ► It's like, come on, man.

01:23:36 ◼   ► I'm looking at it now.

01:23:37 ◼   ► The Mirose smart Wi-Fi air purifier.

01:23:40 ◼   ► Okay, great.

01:23:42 ◼   ► I will check that out and I will report back.

01:23:43 ◼   ► Report back.

01:23:44 ◼   ► If we ever do that state of the home show.

01:23:46 ◼   ► When it comes to what's on my desk, great.

01:23:49 ◼   ► There's always something on my desk.

01:23:50 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:23:51 ◼   ► Every single day.

01:23:52 ◼   ► It's called the Sidekick Notepad.

01:23:53 ◼   ► Oh, Sidekick Notepad.

01:23:54 ◼   ► Is that on your desk every day?

01:23:55 ◼   ► It is available on my desk because it is perfectly made to sit between me and my keyboard on

01:24:00 ◼   ► sale at cortexbrand.com.

01:24:02 ◼   ► I swear I didn't set this up, but I just realized like, oh yeah, can we say that we're trying

01:24:06 ◼   ► to make Cortex Brand one of those companies that's, if you like one of our products, you

01:24:11 ◼   ► like lots of our products?

01:24:12 ◼   ► Like, I know our lead designer spends a lot of time making sure these things are nice

01:24:19 ◼   ► in absolutely every way.

01:24:21 ◼   ► I guess it's what we're hoping to achieve, right?

01:24:23 ◼   ► That's kind of the goal because it's what we like.

01:24:26 ◼   ► That there are certain companies that you can just keep buying any product that they

01:24:31 ◼   ► make and know that you're going to get some kind of consistent experience from that.

01:24:36 ◼   ► So like Herman Miller is one of them and Bellroy is another one.

01:24:40 ◼   ► Peak Design is another one.

01:24:42 ◼   ► And so, yeah, my hope would be that in a few years time, people would consider us the same

01:24:47 ◼   ► way for the things that we're making of like, oh, I want this kind of product, Cortex Brand

01:24:53 ◼   ► make it.

01:24:53 ◼   ► Well, I know I'm going to like that.

01:24:55 ◼   ► That is a goal for sure.

01:24:57 ◼   ► We just, we need to get more products out.

01:25:00 ◼   ► You know.

01:25:00 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:25:02 ◼   ► How hard can it be to painstakingly make a new product?

01:25:06 ◼   ► How hard can it be?

01:25:07 ◼   ► Can't be hard at all.

01:25:08 ◼   ► All right, I'm going to use this as an opportunity to transition from office stuff to exercise

01:25:16 ◼   ► stuff because I feel like my office is also half exercise room.

01:25:22 ◼   ► I mean, so many office buildings have gyms in them.

01:25:24 ◼   ► We'll say this counts.

01:25:26 ◼   ► Sure, that counts.

01:25:26 ◼   ► I've got my city sports treadmill, which is the treadmill that I use when I'm at my standing

01:25:33 ◼   ► desk and walking.

01:25:34 ◼   ► I can't wildly recommend it.

01:25:36 ◼   ► I can simply say it is the one that has lasted the longest without breaking is maybe the

01:25:42 ◼   ► way I would say it.

01:25:44 ◼   ► Sort of like this weird market of wireless chargers on Amazon.

01:25:48 ◼   ► It's always different companies every time you go to buy one.

01:25:51 ◼   ► For whatever reason, the low profile treadmill market feels like it's the exact same thing.

01:25:56 ◼   ► A bunch of like weird fly by night companies with suspiciously similar photographs that

01:26:02 ◼   ► are all like, "Hey, did you want a treadmill to have on your standing desk?"

01:26:05 ◼   ► I just don't understand why there doesn't seem to be a reputable vendor in this market,

01:26:11 ◼   ► but I don't know.

01:26:12 ◼   ► Maybe some spaces are just that way, but clicking through product photos on Amazon for this

01:26:18 ◼   ► kind of stuff is very weird.

01:26:19 ◼   ► You're like, "Are all these companies the same company?

01:26:22 ◼   ► Are they different companies?"

01:26:23 ◼   ► I don't understand what's happening.

01:26:25 ◼   ► Our, I will say now, chief revenue officer at Relay FM, Kerry, got promotion recently.

01:26:31 ◼   ► Congratulations, Kerry.

01:26:32 ◼   ► Congratulations.

01:26:32 ◼   ► Uses a company called Walking Pad.

01:26:35 ◼   ► Walking Pad, okay.

01:26:36 ◼   ► Yeah, and she's very happy with this product.

01:26:39 ◼   ► Walking Pad, all right.

01:26:41 ◼   ► It's foldable, I think.

01:26:43 ◼   ► They do like a foldable one so you can put it away.

01:26:45 ◼   ► Oh, weird.

01:26:47 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:26:47 ◼   ► So I was just getting like derailed because their advertisement on their website feels

01:26:52 ◼   ► very TikTok.

01:26:53 ◼   ► It's like, "Why is it so fast?

01:26:55 ◼   ► Why are the cuts so fast?"

01:26:56 ◼   ► Well, I mean, I think you just answered your own question.

01:26:58 ◼   ► No, no, I know.

01:26:59 ◼   ► I know that's exactly it.

01:27:00 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:27:00 ◼   ► Oh, they make a foldable rowing machine.

01:27:02 ◼   ► What?

01:27:03 ◼   ► How does that even work?

01:27:04 ◼   ► This is one of the weirdest.

01:27:06 ◼   ► This is so strange.

01:27:08 ◼   ► It's one of those water ones too.

01:27:10 ◼   ► Okay, foldable rowing machine.

01:27:13 ◼   ► Okay, I think, you know what?

01:27:16 ◼   ► Looking at it, I think the foldable rowing machine actually makes more sense than a foldable

01:27:21 ◼   ► walking treadmill.

01:27:21 ◼   ► I agree.

01:27:22 ◼   ► This seems more sturdy than the foldable walking treadmill.

01:27:27 ◼   ► Yeah.

01:27:27 ◼   ► Okay, well, that's weird.

01:27:29 ◼   ► I had a water treadmill that I was also going to recommend in my exercise area.

01:27:34 ◼   ► I use one from a company called WaterRower.

01:27:37 ◼   ► This comes with a warning, right?

01:27:39 ◼   ► Warning.

01:27:40 ◼   ► Warning.

01:27:41 ◼   ► This is one of these areas where I followed the rule of fewer but nicer.

01:27:47 ◼   ► So this was one of our purchases at the start of COVID time was we're like, "Oh God, we

01:27:54 ◼   ► got to get some exercise equipment."

01:27:55 ◼   ► So I got myself bikes, I got myself weights, and we got a rowing machine and I decided

01:28:01 ◼   ► like, "Okay, if we're going to do this, let's go all out."

01:28:04 ◼   ► And I got one of these water ones.

01:28:05 ◼   ► The warning is if you like rowing machines, which I do, and I think you do, right?

01:28:10 ◼   ► You have a rowing machine, right?

01:28:12 ◼   ► Yeah, I have the one that you've seen in every gym everywhere, the Concept 2.

01:28:16 ◼   ► Right.

01:28:17 ◼   ► I like the Concept 2 a lot.

01:28:19 ◼   ► I was very used to it from my gym and I have one in the studio.

01:28:23 ◼   ► I think for a certain kind of person, and maybe we're both that kind of person, rowing

01:28:27 ◼   ► works as an aerobic exercise in a way that lots of others don't.

01:28:31 ◼   ► I hate running.

01:28:34 ◼   ► The cross trainer is a nightmare.

01:28:36 ◼   ► And I like most rowing machines, mine does.

01:28:38 ◼   ► I think yours might too.

01:28:39 ◼   ► They have like, you can put a tablet on it.

01:28:41 ◼   ► It's got a mounting place.

01:28:42 ◼   ► You could just watch a video and just row.

01:28:44 ◼   ► It's great.

01:28:45 ◼   ► What I really want is I want my VR headset to work with my rowing machine.

01:28:49 ◼   ► That is my dream.

01:28:49 ◼   ► I want to be able to look around and see a little lake.

01:28:54 ◼   ► That is interesting.

01:28:55 ◼   ► I like that idea a lot.

01:28:58 ◼   ► When I was looking, did you ever come across Hydro?

01:29:02 ◼   ► No.

01:29:04 ◼   ► It's like Peloton for rowing.

01:29:07 ◼   ► You are not selling me on that.

01:29:08 ◼   ► No.

01:29:09 ◼   ► This is why I ended up not doing it because it was really expensive and also required

01:29:14 ◼   ► a subscription.

01:29:15 ◼   ► But they have like a screen with instructors who are rowing on open water.

01:29:21 ◼   ► Oh, weird.

01:29:21 ◼   ► Okay.

01:29:22 ◼   ► So they are like doing the class and they're out on open water and you're rowing along

01:29:27 ◼   ► with them.

01:29:28 ◼   ► And I always thought that was like a really nice idea.

01:29:31 ◼   ► So similarly, yes, how great would it be if you could put on a headset and be rowing on

01:29:37 ◼   ► open water in VR?

01:29:39 ◼   ► Right.

01:29:39 ◼   ► That feels like the way to go.

01:29:41 ◼   ► I just realized that the name is more clever than Hydro.

01:29:45 ◼   ► Like Row.

01:29:45 ◼   ► It's a great name.

01:29:46 ◼   ► Okay, I get it.

01:29:47 ◼   ► But anyway, I don't know if it worked, but that was one of the very first things in like

01:29:52 ◼   ► early COVID days.

01:29:53 ◼   ► I was like, come on, someone must have made like a VR rowing thing that I can use.

01:29:57 ◼   ► But I realized like that was basically when I didn't quite understand how VR really

01:30:02 ◼   ► works.

01:30:02 ◼   ► I was like, oh no, this is a much harder problem than I first thought it was going to be.

01:30:06 ◼   ► But that would be one of my top requests is for someone to solve this problem.

01:30:10 ◼   ► But so anyway, my warning is this.

01:30:12 ◼   ► If you're a person who likes rowing as aerobic exercise, if you ever use a water rower, you

01:30:21 ◼   ► will not be able to go back to the regular rowing machines.

01:30:24 ◼   ► I feel like it's such a better experience that it kind of instantly ruins you for using

01:30:30 ◼   ► any of the other machines.

01:30:32 ◼   ► And I actually told this to my same cousin who was visiting where he's like, oh, hey,

01:30:37 ◼   ► you've got that rowing machine.

01:30:38 ◼   ► I was like, listen, buddy, I got to warn you about something.

01:30:40 ◼   ► Like, do you use rowing machines a lot?

01:30:42 ◼   ► He's like, oh yeah, I use them in the gym all the time.

01:30:44 ◼   ► I'm like, okay, you might not want to do this because the experience of the water rower

01:30:49 ◼   ► just like is much nicer and you will find the gym ones more frustrating.

01:30:54 ◼   ► And he took my advice and skipped using the home rowing machine because of that.

01:30:58 ◼   ► What's so much better?

01:30:59 ◼   ► The only way I can articulate this is with like pens, right?

01:31:05 ◼   ► Where if you've never used a nice pen, you kind of think how much nicer can a pen be

01:31:11 ◼   ► to use and you just don't have an appreciation for it.

01:31:15 ◼   ► There's something about it's the resistance feels very real.

01:31:21 ◼   ► Okay.

01:31:22 ◼   ► It really feels like you are on the water, which is why I think like I wanted the VR

01:31:27 ◼   ► part of it so much is because like, this is a convincing experience.

01:31:31 ◼   ► It doesn't feel like pulling on a cord where the tension is adjusted because the water

01:31:39 ◼   ► is like circling around.

01:31:41 ◼   ► You have the subjective experience of like building up speed because your next pull can

01:31:48 ◼   ► be slightly easier because the water is rotating already.

01:31:52 ◼   ► It really gives you the feeling of like, oh, I've stopped and now I need to get up to

01:31:57 ◼   ► speed and once I'm at speed, it's easy to maintain this pace.

01:32:02 ◼   ► That's the best I can try to do to put it in words.

01:32:04 ◼   ► It's very convincing and it suddenly makes the traditional rowing machines feel like

01:32:09 ◼   ► a completely different experience.

01:32:11 ◼   ► So I have been totally ruined.

01:32:13 ◼   ► Like it's awful.

01:32:14 ◼   ► Like I found the aerobic exercise that I like, but now if I'm ever at a gym that it doesn't

01:32:19 ◼   ► have a water rowing machine, it's like, oh, okay, well, I guess I can do this, but it's

01:32:24 ◼   ► just not the same anymore.

01:32:25 ◼   ► And I kind of wish I never knew.

01:32:27 ◼   ► Like I wish I had just gotten your rowing machine.

01:32:30 ◼   ► I'm fascinated by this folding rowing machine.

01:32:33 ◼   ► Do you think you're going to give it a shot?

01:32:34 ◼   ► No, I like my rowing machine, so I don't want to change it.

01:32:37 ◼   ► I'm very used to the concept too.

01:32:39 ◼   ► I figure I know what you mean though, right?

01:32:41 ◼   ► Like the difference between the like fan that you're pulling and the water.

01:32:46 ◼   ► Plus I imagine there's just like a, does it sound good?

01:32:49 ◼   ► Yes, it does sound good.

01:32:51 ◼   ► I'm sure that helps too, like with the overall experience.

01:32:53 ◼   ► Okay.

01:32:55 ◼   ► So that's on the aerobic side.

01:32:57 ◼   ► And then on the strength side, I got these weights, which are made by a company called

01:33:03 ◼   ► Powerblock.

01:33:03 ◼   ► What, what are you laughing at?

01:33:07 ◼   ► In the early days of COVID, you suggested that I do strength training and suggested

01:33:15 ◼   ► that I get some kind of weight thing for home.

01:33:17 ◼   ► And they were, these kinds of things were so hard to buy.

01:33:21 ◼   ► I could only buy one.

01:33:23 ◼   ► Oh, okay.

01:33:24 ◼   ► Like they, I couldn't get a pair.

01:33:26 ◼   ► How did that even, were you like buying it off eBay or something?

01:33:28 ◼   ► How does you just get one?

01:33:29 ◼   ► Okay.

01:33:30 ◼   ► And so I bought one set of these adjustable dumbbells.

01:33:35 ◼   ► That just, this is very funny, it's like a funny remnant of the beginning of the pandemic

01:33:39 ◼   ► where like now I just have this one heavy adjustable dumbbell.

01:33:44 ◼   ► What was your experience with it?

01:33:47 ◼   ► I mean, I liked it as like, it made sense to me as a thing, but at the time I didn't

01:33:50 ◼   ► really know what I was doing.

01:33:52 ◼   ► Like it's more effective for me now.

01:33:53 ◼   ► Right, this is so long ago, right?

01:33:55 ◼   ► Of course.

01:33:55 ◼   ► Now that I'm more experienced with like what, how weight feels and stuff that like, this

01:34:01 ◼   ► is a smart way to do it, like rather than having like six different dumbbells or different

01:34:05 ◼   ► weights, like the fact that they're adjustable is, I think it's quite clever, but they are

01:34:10 ◼   ► a bit clunky and noisy.

01:34:12 ◼   ► Yes.

01:34:13 ◼   ► So it is, they are noisy.

01:34:15 ◼   ► I completely agree with that.

01:34:17 ◼   ► I am aware that, so I've moved these down into the basement.

01:34:20 ◼   ► So the basement is now also an exercise area as opposed to just being up in our apartment

01:34:25 ◼   ► from before.

01:34:25 ◼   ► And especially in the concrete box, I'm aware that I always want to have my noise

01:34:30 ◼   ► canceling on when I'm using this because it is just a little bit like, there's unpleasant

01:34:35 ◼   ► clanking sounds.

01:34:36 ◼   ► So I might as well just turn on the noise canceling, but I think these things are great.

01:34:40 ◼   ► If you haven't ever tried different adjustable dumbbells, you won't appreciate how many

01:34:45 ◼   ► problems this design solves.

01:34:48 ◼   ► So there's lots of different versions where people try to do adjustable weight dumbbells.

01:34:52 ◼   ► And I just think this design in particular really fixes a lot of annoyances that a lot

01:34:58 ◼   ► of these different things have.

01:34:59 ◼   ► So I highly recommend them.

01:35:01 ◼   ► Although I always think it's funny, I have never seen a company that needs to consolidate

01:35:06 ◼   ► its product line more than this company.

01:35:09 ◼   ► Every time I go to look, it's like insane to me that they have five different versions

01:35:13 ◼   ► of what is basically the same thing.

01:35:15 ◼   ► And even as a very motivated consumer, it's confusing to be like, wait, which of these

01:35:21 ◼   ► things?

01:35:21 ◼   ► Like, I actually need to buy expansions for the ones that I have now.

01:35:25 ◼   ► And I have bounced off this website like three times, even trying to figure out which is

01:35:31 ◼   ► the one that I own.

01:35:32 ◼   ► It's not obvious.

01:35:33 ◼   ► Yeah, like these, these all look exactly the same, but we have Elite USA, Pro EXP, Pro

01:35:39 ◼   ► 50, Pro 32.

01:35:41 ◼   ► Yeah, it's, it's, you know, if you're listening Powerblock company, you need to have two at

01:35:48 ◼   ► most versions of these things.

01:35:51 ◼   ► And really, I think you can get away with just one version of these.

01:35:54 ◼   ► There doesn't need to be four different versions of what looks like the exact same product.

01:36:00 ◼   ► So that's all my indoor exercise stuff.

01:36:02 ◼   ► And then for the last one, people always ask because it's a really unusual looking bike

01:36:07 ◼   ► that I got.

01:36:08 ◼   ► It's featured in one of my YouTube videos.

01:36:11 ◼   ► I got this bike from GoCycle, which is an electronic bike company here in the UK.

01:36:16 ◼   ► I really like it.