Week 30 felt like it went by way too fast. My kids' last week of Summer, as they go back to school tomorrow. All four of us went to the Atlanta United Leagues' Cup game Friday night, which they lost on Penalty Kicks. While it was a good time because all four of us were there, it's been a rough season to be an Atlanta United fan. After seven years, since their first season, of having season tickets, I think I might be canceling for next season, because they raised the price again. We haven't been having as much fun at the games as we used to. I'm still waffling though.

This week's media consumption has been Olympics, Olympics, Olympics. I really enjoyed watching the Opening Ceremony live, and am really glad I have nothing to do with LA 2028 because that thing would be a hard act to follow. There are currently three TV's in our house streaming different sports. I am, of course, watching the surfing from Tahiti, which is once of the coolest venues on our tour. My older son has been fencing for years, and this is one of the very few opportunities to watch that sport at its highest level. The whole family has been watching those events.

Watching the USA basketball teams is, for me, just so much fun. I'm excited for another week of this. The huge smile on Kevin Durant's face during their game against Serbia brought a smile to mine, too.

I really enjoyed this Atlanta Michelin Eats Video from a YouTuber who I wasn't previously familiar with, Mike Chen. A few of my favorite spots were featured in this video, like Fred's Meat & Bread, Arepa Mia and Food Terminal. It still had some that I haven't tried, and those have been added to me to do list. There's something fun about watching travel and food videos about the town you live in.

I finished four books this week.

After really enjoying my read of Moonbound last week, I managed to find Sourdough by Robin Sloan on Libby and it was available! This one was a quick read, delightful as well, and I will read his other book as soon as the queue comes up. This book made me want colder weather so I could enjoy a nice bowl of soup and a piece of sourdough.

I continue to plow through all of Erik Larson's books, this week it was The Demon of Unrest. This one is mostly about the start of the Civil War and Fort Sumnter. It provides a real lot of details about the transition from the Buchanan administration to the Lincoln administration and the origins of secession. It's not one I would recommend unless you are really interested in that amount of information on that topic, but I really got a lot out of it.

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang had been on my Libby queue for a really long time, I think since last Summer. This book about a chef working for a billionaire in a timeline where planet's food supply has been disrupted is well crafted and worth your time, especially if you're really into food. It actually paired well in a weird way with Sourdough above, without any intention to pair them on my part.

Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Niobe Inazō reads like a guide to the chivalric traditions of Japan. I mainly read this looking for parallels to Stoic thought, and they were there. It is a very old book, and felt old.

I've been meaning for a few weeks to find one of these entries to talk about the pair of Ray-Ban | Meta Glasses that I bought and have been using. First, I don't particularly trust Facebook/Meta, and I have turned off anything even remotely creepy with these. No location services especially. I mainly use them when I go for walks, which have been much more frequent since my surgery in May. For this purpose, these things are an amazing combination of sunglasses/headphones/camera. The pictures they take are actually pretty good, the headphones are serviceable. I'm getting a fair amount of use from them. Again, not wearing these anywhere where taking pictures would be creepy.

This post spans two weeks, partly because one of those weeks was a very busy work trip, and the second of those weeks was a vacation. Here we are in the 30th week of the year, wow.

I had the fun, and stress, of taking my first work trip, to Los Angeles, since my spinal surgery in May.  One day in our new office in El Segundo, and two days in Santa Monica. Some pretty intensive meetings, and lots of interesting conversation. Overall, it went well, but I learned that I do have some physical limitations, and sitting in a hard chair for 6-8 hours a day in a meeting ended up causing some soreness. The flights, at least, went by without any issues.

I landed back in Atlanta, via a red-eye, to drive with my family from Atlanta to a beach house we rented for the week down in 30A in Florida.  I then had a week that was mostly off, going to the beach with my family each day. Reading on the beach while listening to music is one of my happiest places.  The beaches down there are some of the nicest in the US. We also always make time to head to Seaside for a day of walking around in the shops, and browsing the stacks at Sun Dog one of my absolute favorite book stores. We also send some postcards from the cute post office there.

I finished Moonbound by Robin Sloan. I’ve always been a sucker for Aurthurian fiction and this inventive and interesting science fiction take on that classic tale was no exception. I hadn't previously read anything by Robin Sloan. I am going to read his other two books, I added them to my Libby queue as soon as I finished this one.  Recommended.

I also finished Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami, who is one of my favorite authors. This one reads like a career autobiography, with many interesting notes on his perception of his progression as an author. I found a lot to be inspired by while reading this one on the beach and away from work.

I also finished The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. This "Lady Astronaut" novel is an alternate history of the US where a major disaster has altered the course of history and space exploration. Lots of social commentary, as the book happens in the 50's and 60's, and I really enjoyed it.

I read using my Boox Palma the entire week I was on the road for work and at the beach. It's a great device for both travel and at the beach. My daily carry beach bag for the Palma, my iPhone 15 Pro Max, wallet etc. is the Channel Sacoche in Black from Makr. It is the perfect size for everything without being too big. They don't have any made right now, but said they would be making more soon. They aren't cheap, but are really high quality.

One very recommended gadget that we use at the beach is our Ultimate Ears - WONDERBOOM 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (I'm linking to the 4 because they don't have a page on their site with the 2 any longer.) I bought this speaker on clearance from Best Buy in 2020, and we use it all the time, it has held up really well and sounds great. I have it attached to a HeroClip to make it easy to hang from the umbrella or chairs.

With the holiday, and how overwhelmed I have been returning to work during our busiest season, I decided to combine two weeks of updates into a single post. For those in the States, hope you have a great 4th of July weekend.

I've had a pretty great, but stressful, couple of weeks. I continue to be able to do more and more post-surgery, and went to the gym a couple of times this week. I'm mostly still just walking, but am starting to work on my mobility and doing some band and body weight strength stuff. Some really sore days.

Last Saturday, we went to an Atlanta United game (We have season tickets.) for the first time since before my spinal surgery. Unlike pre-surgery, I was able to stand for the whole game. The game ended in a pretty amazing play that's worth watching if you haven't seen it. I've never seen anything like it.

I finished "There Is No Antimemetics Division" by qntm. I found this science fiction book to be quite a mind expander, very inventive, has a certain modern-Lovecraft vibe to it too. Highly recommend. You can find more information on qntm's site. I'm going to be reading everything else by him.

I also finished "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania" by Erik Larsen, the second book of his I've read in a few weeks. This one was great, a lot about the time period, German U-boats, the beginning of WWI and the US's entrance into the conflict. I really didn't know much about the Lusitania going in, so I soaked up a lot of new information. This won't be the last Erik Larsen book I will be reading this year.

I watched this Salt Hank video about making Anthony Bourdain's favorite sandwich, which led me to make this sandwich, and now it's one of my favorites, too. I've made it a couple of times, and I have to say that it will be a permanent part of my lunch rotation moving forward. I wish I had known to go and try it where he discovered it in São Paulo. I was there two years ago.

We finished watching The Bear: Season Three. I wish there was more that I hadn't watched yet, but that's all there is for now. I couldn't be more enthusiastic about this show. The music selection and how the music is folded into the episodes is just so good. Here's an unofficial Spotify Playlist. Finally, watching episode six, the "Napkins" episode, I was struck by how it is, in part, an homage to Groundhog Day, one of my all time favorite movies. (If you're familiar with Groundhog Day, and you watch this episode, you'll get it.)

Having this device has made me realize how frustrated I am with the lack of any kind of innovation with the Kindles in recent years. I do love my Paperwhite, but there's so much more that Amazon could be doing. More competition in this market is great, and I hope the press that the Palma is getting turns into more readers.

All around, a pretty great week for me. I went back to see my spinal surgeon, and got some x-rays. Everything looked good, and he lifted the majority of the restrictions that I have been living with. Couldn't have gone better, and I am so happy.

I can now drive, and work out beyond just walking. I am allowed to go swimming. I can now bend, lift and twist. I was very excited, and took full advantage, went swimming a couple of times, and went out and got a burrito from my favorite local burrito shop. I joined a gym, as I am not allowed to get on my rowing machine here at home quite yet.

I've watched an absolute ton of UEFA Euro 2024 over the last week. Fox has made some peculiar decisions about where they put some of the games. The level of play is excellent.

We also finished Mr. & Mrs. Smith Season 1. Really enjoyable, and I hope we get Donald Glover and Maya Erskine back for at least some part of season 2, which is confirmed.

I finished Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday, the next book in his virtue series, and really got a lot out of it. I will say, though, that if you want to get started with his writing, I would suggest starting with The Obstacle is The Way. He turns Stoic philosophy into something accessible and applicable to one's daily life by linking ideas to anecdotes from history. As I work on myself, forever, these ideas have been helpful and inspiring.

If you're looking for something refreshing to cook this Summer, may I suggest this really nice, lemony, Black Rice Salad recipe from Bon Appetit. We've been making this salad for years, and I always enjoy it.

I got this Belkin BoostCharge Pro for my desk and I really like it. (It's not on Belkin's site anywhere that I could find, so I am linking directly to Amazon, no referral.) It converts from a stand that supports MagSafe charging and Standby for my iPhone to a small pad that I can rest my AirPods Pro on. I haven't seen something quite like this anywhere else, and I really like having both options, and being able to fold it down flat.

Finally, this episode of the Smartless podcast, with John Williams as their guest, was the best one in quite a while. He's a legend, and he doesn't do many things like this. They were uniquely qualified to have the conversation with him, and it made for a really good listen. (Give it a few minutes though, it starts kind of slow.)

This week has been a lot, trying to balance my health restrictions due to my spinal surgery recovery with a ramping up work schedule and still also digesting as much WWDC content, both from Apple and from third parties, as I can. I've struggled with my energy level, but generally feel good. I go back for some x-rays and to see my surgeon this week, hoping for a good progress report, and some lifted restrictions.

This week, I finished Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu. Many of you will have heard this title because of the Netflix show. I will admit that I have not finished the Netflix show, but I had started it before deciding to read the book. The book holds much of the same plot arc, but largely occurs in China with Chinese characters. I really enjoyed the book, and will definitely now finish the show. I also plan on reading the second book.

I also finished The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant this week. I found this book via Ryan Holiday's excellent Reading List email newsletter. I highly recommend that one, it's helped me find some really incredible books. I adored this book, which is about a true story of a Siberian Tiger attack in 1997. The book is part history, part detective story, part biology, and all captivating. I learned so much about tigers, the Russian Far East, the relationship between primates and big cats, and the on-the-ground outcomes of perestroika. Add this one to your list. It also led me to this excellent YouTube documentary.

A reminder that you can find me on goodreads. I am trying to read a little less this year, with my goal being around 75 books by year's end.

On to WWDC, I watched the Keynote and State of the Union live. I think Apple knocked it out of the (pardon the pun) park this year. My less technical friends and family seemed less excited about this keynote than others from years past, but I think the focus that Apple chose, and what they are releasing, are the perhaps the best possible options for the good of the company. Having said that, I want more foundational iPadOS improvements.

I, of course, had FOMO about not being able to attend, but my health comes first. I miss the in person format, especially with the sessions. I've watched about 15 sessions, and these pre-recorded ones just aren't as effective for me. I have the iPadOS beta installed on my iPad mini, and haven't found many rough edges so far. (The more interesting stuff that was announced isn't in the betas yet.) I did play with the new Calculator app and Math Notes with my Apple Pencil. It's really well done, but not something I can see myself using on a regular basis.

These Macintosh Wallpapers that Basic Apple Guy captured have a really nice retro touch for us old timers.

Some other stuff I watched and enjoyed this week:

I loved Marques Brownlee's visit to the iPhone testing labs.

This NYT Cooking "A Day in the Life as a Candy Factory Worker" video about the Smarties factory in New Jersey was cute, as it's part love story.

I'm in my SaveAFox Phase.

C.R.E.A.M. by OMA

My wife and I started Mr. and Mrs. Smith this week. So far, two episodes in, I am hooked and really enjoying it.

Want to say, at the end here, R.I.P. Jerry West. A man who I looked up to.

I've decided I am going to try to do something roughly in the vein of The Installer Newsletter, which I look forward to every Saturday. Many browser tabs are opened.

I've been recovering from having lumbar spinal fusion surgery over the last few weeks, and have been limited in terms of what I'm able to do. I returned to work this week, but my energy level is nowhere near as robust as it normally is, yet.

This week, I finished On Photography by Susan Sontag. She passed away 20 years ago, but many of the thoughts about the art of photography in this book endure. With the emergence of digital photography and now ai applied to photography, someone could easily write a thoughtful sequel to this book.

I also finished In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larsen. This non-fiction book about William E. Dodd, who was the US Ambassador to Hitler's Germany in 1933, was actually a pretty quick read. I am going to read more Erik Larsen in the short future. Lots of really interesting pre-war context in this book. Shout out to Libby for making it easy to borrow these Kindle books from our Public Library.

I watched Godzilla Minus One the moment it was up on Netflix, and have been re-consuming it in bits and pieces in my home office while doing glamorous CTO tasks like my expense report. It's excellent, not just the best Godzilla movie, but a really good movie in it's on right.

I've also been watching a lot of music on YouTube while spending my doctor mandated times on the couch here at home. Lots and lots of OMA, who do instrumental covers of hip-hop songs, this video is a good jumping off point for them, but you can't go wrong with anything on their channel. Perfect background music for your day. If you want something a tad more aggressive, this live performance by DJ Z-Trip is a classic.

I've been enjoying the new multi-column layout that Threads has released on the web. It works pretty well on iPad as well. I do wish they had lists, like vintage Twitter did, that's how I consumed so much of my Twitter content over the years.

I'm (still) playing a ton of World of Warcraft Remix: Mists of Pandaria. I'm enjoying it so much that I didn't even start playing the new Destiny 2 expansion as planned this week. My gaming time is limited as I am only allowed to sit up for 30-45 minutes at a time. Still also doing Wordle and Spelling Bee almost every day too.

Super excited that SDW updated his site this week, he's one of the more inspiring folks on my radar. I subscribed.

I listened to a lot of podcasts this week, catching up on the ones I missed. The State of the Hardware 2024 Episode of Cortex is the one that had me buying a new microphone for future audio pursuits. Really enjoy all the "State of the" episodes of Cortex.

Seems like enough for this week. Hope you have a great weekend. Really looking forward to WWDC on Monday. Wish I was allowed to travel for it.