Howdy, !

It's the first time this greeting is super appropriate since I write this less than 48 hours out from going to Texas in the US! Howdy, indeed! More on all that below. But first, how are you doing? What have you been up to? Let me know!

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Week in the life

You know how people say that having something to look forward to is half the reward? (Or something along those lines?)

Well, in my case, this trip to Texas is like that: I've felt like I'm slipping back into overwork and though my reasons for going are work related, it should be a nice way to break things up and clear my head. The other thing I've noticed about the trip are all these little things that I've been meaning to do eventually are ACTUALLY getting done. I'm not even going for that long, but it FEELS like I have to sort everything out before I do go and I'm using that urgency as long as it persists!

I'll tell you about everything getting done over on the blog...

Creative update

PxR 2023 Photo Calendar

It's been a rush to get home things sorted but this is where all creative energies are going as well as recording the podcast. The next episode should be out in the next few days. Til then, I decided to "splurge" and add little explainers for each image. Every little thing is an added cost in making these calendars! But final proof with the info should be back from the design team tomorrow and the print run will be started shortly after.

Gadgets/Tech

Samsung Freestyle

I won this in a competition a little while back and only just got around to really playing with it recently. I've had many "proper" projectors in the past but nothing as simple as this! It's literally plug into power, switch on, connect to wifi and you basically have a smart TV. In this size, I think there's a few others that may be a bit brighter but the ease of use here is the great thing. Only thing I wish it had was a built in battery, but USB-C as the power plug is the next best thing.

Also has surprisingly good audio which I didn't expect from something so small.

Other gadgets/tech

• USB heated coffee mug - If you're like me an keep forgetting about your coffee til it's cold, this might be the gadget for you!
• Levitating Light Bulb Lamp - This is my bed side lamp! I gotta say I have a thing for levitating things and it's just awesome to see this thing spin in mid air and light up

Read

Where will the next 1000 babies be born?

You know I love a good info graphic so here's a simple one that gets the message across quite well. It uses the current birth rates from around the planet to guess show the top 200 countries of birth rate and their relative distribution.

Makes me wonder how the world/culture/demographics will change in another 10 years?

Currently reading...

• The Myth of Normal - Apart from 1Q84, I don't think I've taken THIS long on a book before! It's dense and different from my usual personal development stuff, but seems like a book full of things I need to hear.

Listen

Andrew Bayer - Under Pressure

Wouldn't be my choice of cover art, but I have to say I am a big fan of Andrew Bayer. The guy manages to make these very lush, layered songs with interesting pop hooks that are super catchy but sonically complex. I used to play around with production software many many moons ago and this is one of the songs that's been on repeat (literally listening as I type this!) and I pick up something new interesting on each listen.

Quote I'm pondering

"If in doubt, go for the harder option..."

— personal motto

I actually haven't really scrolled through many new quotes this week but thought I'd share my own take on one previously mentioned.

"Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life" is a quote by Jerzy Gregorek that I discovered via Tim Ferriss. Now in many situations, it's not easy to know from the outset of what is actually a hard choice or one you're just unsure of.

So, I turned it into my own personal was to choose: basically, it's chose the scarier option. It might be the one with less information/certainty/ease, but I find that if I choose that to begin with, I get started with whatever it is earlier instead of being stuck in analysis-paralysis. Also, this bit of early action seems to allow for better course correction and if the easier option happens to be the better one, it feels infinitely effortless having gotten started with the harder one.

I've shared many quotes on this newsletter over the years. I'd love to hear how you've applied one in your own life or your favourite one. Drop me an email to let me know if they've been useful to you!

Til next time, stay safe!

- Raffy

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