Doug Mejia

I am always fascinated to see how things are made or how things work. This is especially true for things that I love, like books. Adam Savage did a great job showing us how old books were made in this video.

BGR wrote a great article on different uses for your iPhone’s USB-C port besides charging. For example, you can connect a wired keyboard to your phone and start using it without any further configuration. Or you can hook up an external hard drive or USB thumb drive to transfer or even back up some of your files while on the go. It might be the faster or only option at times. They even suggested plugging in a wired game controller, but my favorite suggestion was to plug in and charge your low-power devices like AirPods or Apple Watch on the fly. In fact, I have a pretty cool Apple Watch travel charger to do just that. It gets you out of a pinch, for sure.

Not mentioned in this article, but something else I have tried in the past, is plugging in a USB ethernet adapter to connect directly to a network and run a couple of diagnostic tools. Fun stuff. I have also connected USB-C hubs to power multiple devices and even output video over HDMI to an external monitor. I guess the sky is the limit. When in doubt, try it out.

Raspberry Pi 500+ puts the Pi, 16GB of RAM, and a real SSD in a mechanical keyboard

The Raspberry Pi 500 (and 400) systems are versions of the Raspberry Pi built for people who use the Raspberry Pi as a general-purpose computer rather than a hobbyist appliance.

The Raspberry Pi has always been one of my favorite little computers. They’re perfect for quick projects and ideal for deployment to non-technical people who just need a basic computer for email, word processing, and similar tasks.

The 400 and now the 500 models take things a step further by integrating everything into a keyboard. Having a complete computer built right into a keyboard is pretty neat, in my opinion.

The main drawback has always been their reliance on SD cards (micro SD cards, to be exact). However, the new 500 series offers a compelling $200 option that includes a built-in 256GB SSD and 16GB of RAM. That combination makes it very attractive.

I’m constantly working on small projects to experiment with new ideas, and I think this could be a great addition to my toolkit.

Finished Listening to…: The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime by MJ DeMarco 📚

I just finished listening to The Millionaire Fastlane, and it turned out to be a fantastic book. At first, I wasn’t thrilled with the narrator’s approach. The fake character voices, aggressive delivery, and cheesy 1980s theme music between chapters nearly made me quit.

However, once I pushed through and focused on the actual content, I discovered the author was onto something interesting. While the advice came across as confrontational, at times, it was genuinely valuable. While I didn’t connect with every point he made, of course, I found plenty of items to add to my action list.

My favorite section was the concluding Chapter 45. This chapter effectively tied all the concepts together, despite the author’s heavy reliance on acronyms. But hey, if it helps the ideas stick, I’m all for it.

If you’re considering entrepreneurship, planning a side hustle, or thinking about launching your own business, I highly recommend this book. It’s reasonably short and packed with practical advice.

I’d strongly suggest keeping a notebook handy while reading, whether digital or physical, and jotting down key insights. Don’t transcribe everything, but capture what resonates with you. If you have the physical book, grab a pencil and actively engage with it. Underline important passages, write margin notes, dog-ear pages, and then transfer your thoughts into a tool like Obsidian to develop your own reflections based on what you’ve learned.

Sometimes, the best tools we have are the simplest. This is my favorite… the trusty, yest stylish, pencil. It has never let me down. Look around your desk and appreciate your tools. Share some with us, if you feel they deserve it.

This particular pencil is the GraphGear 1000 Automatic Drafting Pencil with a 0.9mm lead. It has a metallic barrel with soft grip pads. Feels great in the hand and writes smoothly and bold. It is a joy to use every time I pick it up.

Makers of a New Motorized Office Chair With Bionic Spine Claim It’ll Ease Your Back Pain

The LiberNovo Omni is an ergonomic office chair from a newcomer to the market. The $1,099 chair is designed for movement and real-time posture correction with a motorized spine and lumbar support that the company says can relieve back pain.

I’ve been spending countless hours at my computer lately working on various projects, and my back is definitely paying the price. The tension runs from my shoulders down through my shoulder blades and all along my spine.

When this article popped up in my RSS feed, I immediately had to check it out. Here’s a newcomer to the office chair market with a twist: this chair is powered and automatically adjusts to your movements to maintain proper posture. It offers multiple positioning modes, from sitting completely upright to reclining at 160 degrees for relaxing or gaming sessions.

But it doesn’t stop there. The chair also features a built-in massager and what they call a “bionic spine” that’s designed to adapt to your movements, optimizing both posture and comfort throughout the day.

The only downside? The price tag. However, when you compare it to other premium brands like Herman Miller or Steelcase, it’s actually competitively priced. I own a Herman Miller at home, and while it’s built like a tank and virtually indestructible, I wouldn’t rank it among the most comfortable chairs I’ve ever used. It’s a solid desk chair, but not what I’d call exceptionally comfortable.

This new chair normally retails for $1,099, though you can pre-order it for $849. The company raised an impressive $8.5 million during their Kickstarter campaign, which speaks to the market demand.

I’m still on the fence about purchasing one, but it definitely caught my attention, especially given my recent discomfort. If it delivers on its promises, I genuinely hope they succeed.