Hello !

It's only been a few days post lockdown in Melbourne and the city is shimmering with good weather! Hope you've stayed safe during the last week where ever you are! After weeks and weeks, looks like the people actually prefer the Sunday Surprise as the name of the newsletter, so for now, it stays (unless you guys want it to be titled Peculiar Potatoes?)

Before I go on, a small ask (as always!). If you have a friend who you think would enjoy the this email, maybe forward it on? It helps A LOT! If you're the friend reading this, click the link below to join! Glad to have you here!

In this week's email...

• Week in the Life - read on the blog
• Read - Guns, Germs & Steel
• Gadgets & things - Buccaneer Skillet
• Watch - Mars Perseverance rover landing
• Quote - If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.

Week in the life

With the snap lockdown last week, this week has felt simultaneously longer and shorter somehow! It gave me a chance to catch up on all my non-clinical duties in my day job like being the general IT guy and updating our intranet, looking at new app roll outs etc.

It was also a week where I FINALLY got something installed that I had been researching for aaagggeeess: BrilliantSmart Wifi controlled swtiches! These are touch sensitive and have a subtle blue glow when on. They also mean that most of the lights in the house are now a tap on the app away from being on or off. Also, it's integrated into Google Home so I can use Google Assistant to turn areas on or off! Finally I feel like the future of laziness is here!😂

In other news, these emails have inspired a reader to start their own blog! Thanks Bryant for the shoutout! I didn't know if you wanted your face before the readership, so here's an emoji covered screengrab! Gotta say, hearing news from the PxR/email or podcast realted projects really make my day, so please let me know anything about my creative endeavours!

It was also a week of food, but again, this update is getting long. If you want to see more, head over to the blog...

PxR update

PxR Store

https://www.photosbyraffy.com/shop

I've been a bit lazy on the PxR projects part this last week, spending most of the time on Instagram edits and learning more about the whole podcasting thing.

On that news, randInt() podcast has officially hit over 100 listens! I count that as quite a milestone! Also, a bonus episode is coming out VERY soon, so if you're in the mood for even MORE randomness, maybe subscribe?

Gadgets & tech

Buccaneer Skillet

https://the-buccaneer-skillet-finally.kckb.st/photosbyraffy

You might've noticed that with all the lockdown dramas in Melbourne, I got into cooking again after many years for avoiding it at all cost. In one of the earlier newsletters, I mentioned Teflon and potential effects, even though it was mostly safe.

Generally speaking, those in the know always suggest using cast-iron pans if possible. Those are usually heavy, need a lot of prep but do result is amazing non-stick surfaces. Since I'm lazy, I'm just going to back this Kickstarter and wait for this lightweight and modern alternative!

PREVIOUS/OTHER PRODUCTS

Some people keep asking about previous recommendations etc so I'm going to link a few that have come up in conversation in the last week below:

• Tefal Ingenio - These are the other pans I'm contemplating. They seem quite smart and space saving too. So if you don't like crowd-funding, these maybe good for you
• Bolt heated coffee mug- Like the Ember mug, but without needing an app and also dishwasher safe!
• Lumos Ultra Helmet - Along with the e-bike, this helmet with built in stop light and headlamp should make my bike trips much safer.

Read

Guns, Germs & Steel

https://amzn.to/3brnCIt

This was recommended to me this week (thanks James Z.!)as an alternative take on human history to Sapiens and I can't wait to start reading it.

It came up in a discussion a colleague and I were having about innovation and how inertia sets in to stifle it. Given the number of times this book came up, I can tell it really shaped his thinking and that makes me very excited to read this one!

Watch

Mars Perseverance rover landing (~10min)

https://youtu.be/gm0b_ijaYMQ?t=5839

This was one of those historic weeks in science with the touch down of a new Mars rover just a few days ago. After the initial rover mission, this one is outfitted with newer sensor looking for signs of past life on Mars AND it has it's own helicopter/drone!

The link to the video should take you to the point just a few minutes out from touch down and if you watch for about 10 mins, it shows the first images the rover sent back to NASA. Over 4000 man years worth of work went into the rover so I can't wait to see what it discovers.

SEE ALSO:

• The Insane Engineering of the Perseverance Rover (~20min) - If you're after a decent look through of what the new rover is capable of and the future planned Mars missions, then this video is a great primer. What amazed me the most was that when the original rover was sent, drones weren't even a thing yet. So can you imagine the tech we'll be sending in the next few missions?!

Quote I'm pondering

“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”

- Adolf Hitler

Not sure why I came across this the past week, but a) it gave me a shiver down my spine and b) seemed like a decent contrast to last week.

Just a reminder than misinformation and propaganda have always been in the arsenal to control the masses. It's up to each and every one of us to learn to critically appraise what we're told and not to believe blindly...

Truly random

Those of you that know me well will know that I'm a massive fan of the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. The last movie in the latest incarnation of the project is due this year and there was quite a random article on the singer of the title theme and how she was swindled for almost all her money. It's bizarre, surreal and entertaining. Kinda like the anime...

• Lyricist Neko Oikawa Shares How She Was Scammed Out of Her Evangelion Royalty Money (~6mins)

That's all for another week so stay safe and stay random!

- Raffy

PS- I realised I'm terrible at knowing when significant things are happening (ie when the Aus Open starts or when a Mars rover is meant to land. Do you know any interesting things coming up later this year? If so, email me!

Sunday Surprise uses affiliate/referral links in the newsletter. While this does not influence the product recommendations or verdict, if there are any that are likely to lead to Photos by Raffy receiving any sort of compensation from, they will be marked in orange. Non affiliate links will appear as blue.