§ My birthday was on Tuesday!
§ I finally caved and bought myself a reMarkable 2 tablet. Some initial thoughts after a few days of use:
I have previously used the iPad with an Apple Pencil which is still undeniably the best touchscreen experience available today. It is also unmistakably digital. I spent a lot of upfront time fruitlessly configuring it to limit outside distractions. It became an attractive nuisance more than a tool.
The reMarkable, on the other hand, feels like “magic paper.”
Most of the time, it is just like writing in a notebook. But then you remember you can undo a mistake or duplicate and move a shape—it is paper+. It is by no means perfect—there are still things like accidental input that immediately break the illusion—but it is good. Most importantly, it isn’t fiddly. There are no apps to install, no settings to tweak. You can read, write, and sketch. That is it.
Unless there are particularly meaningful iPadOS updates come WWDC, I plan to sell my iPad Pro.
§ Six years after Breath of the Wild, its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, was finally released last week.
The first game was easily my favorite Nintendo Switch game so I have been nervously anticipating this follow-up for quite a while.
Honestly, I would be happy even if Tears of the Kingdom were simply an updated version of BOTW with an expanded map. Tears is so much more than that, though. The new construction mechanic, alone, opens up so many new opportunities for play and experimentation.
The new map is enormous, too. It takes all of the familiar locations from the previous game and expands them both underground with a giant network of caves and through the air with a series of sky islands—“skylands.”
Here is the bottom line: BOTW is a game that is worth purchasing a Switch for. I can say the same thing about Tears, without hesitation.
§ I didn’t realize scallions were just the greens from normal onion plants that you pull from the ground early. Well, the Spanish onion bulbs that I planted a few weeks ago are now providing me with an effectively unlimited supply of them.
§ I’ve caught a cold. But at least, with Zelda and the reMarkable, there have been much worse times to be stuck at home for a little bit.
§ Links
- Draw + Play
- Yellowtail in P5.js
- Sandspiel
- Mohit Bhoite’s tiny robots
- The official ChatGPT iOS app is now available although I still prefer Short Circuit
- FastGPT from Kagi
§ Recipes
- I made baked ziti for the first time in quite a while. It is good fresh out of the oven but it is the king of leftovers. It might be twice as good the next day.
- In some sickness induced delirium I started really craving buttery dinner rolls. I found a gluten free recipe that was quick to make and turned out amazingly well.