Om Swastiastu, !

That's "hello" in the local Balinese dialect. I spent most of the weekend by the beach and hence Bali is on my mind. What did you get up to? Do let me know! This week, we look at the invention of the treadmill, more tech and gadgets and all things random!

Before I go on, a shameless request! Could you forward this newsletter to just 3 people that you think would like one of the articles? 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
• Creative Update - randInt - Where to look, when you're looking for love...
• Gadgets & Tech - Smart Tape Measure
• Read - Principles for dealing with the changing world order
• Watch - The treadmill's dark and twisted past (~4min)
• Quote - "He who lives by the crystal ball will eat shattered glass"

Week in the life

It's my second trip out to the Great Ocean Road this year! You'd be forgiven thinking that I enjoyed the beach or something (I'm more a cold weather person!). This was a bit of a getaway for just 1 night but it felt much more refreshing than that...

It may have something to do with the hotel. I stayed at The Sands by Pepper Resorts, which I have to say does have a very relaxing vibe. It's situated on a golf course by the beach so if golf or the beach are your cup of tea, it'd be amazing. As a non-golfer or beach goer, I still found it super comfortable. Just look at the neutral palette and beachy vibes!

I did set up the work area in the corner to write this email but walks on the beach and burgers for dinner distracted me too much (hence the slightly late email this weekend). I am a sucker for a good work area when away though and this was awesome. The table lamp also has built in Qi charger so I could just put my phone down to recharge!

I haven't downloaded all the drone shots from the flight but I do think I got some keepers this time around. The weather was far less windy and I managed to take off with some decent light left in the sky. More on all that over on the blog...

Creative update

randInt S02E03 - Where to look, when you're looking for love...

Another minisode for season 2 as we try and get some interviews organised in the background. This time, on yet another topic I never thought would be on the randInt radar: where to find your potential partner!

We look at the data on how people meet from our day and now to compare if that ACTUALLY matches what we see with our friends.

Gadgets & Tech

Smart Tape Measure

I had no idea a gadget like this existed nor did I think I'd need it. As I've mentioned before, I'm focusing on my health in 2022. In order to track things, I used to have a measuring tape to keep track of abdominal girth, neck etc to see progress based on what exercises I was doing. This tape recently broke and I was looking for a replacement when this came up!

It's essentially exactly that but with a digital readout and an app that keeps track of the measurements! Now I don't have to make up a clunky spreadsheet and the measurements sync across! I've ordered it but I have yet to use it but this will simply tracking a whole lot.

Other gadgets

• Samsung S22 Ultra - After skipping the Note series last year, Samsung has essentially replaced that with the S22 Ultra, the most spec'd out Android phone with a stylus built in! I've been using the S21 with stylus tucked into a case for the last year and I cant WAIT to go back to the Note form factor!
• Kindle Paperwhite - While I love reading actual paper books, the Kindle just makes it so convenient to carry your whole library with you! I recently updated from my old one to this version and the warm backlight and waterproofing made the upgrade worthwhile

Read

Principles for dealing with the changing world order

I swear I AM trying to read more fiction this year, but non-fiction topics are just so fascinating that I end up reading them instead!

I have seen many graphs and explanations coming from this book recently especially as we start to see some tectonic shifts in global super powers and how the world behaves. I'm sure everyone's noticed a renewed China and Russia and a seemingly declining West.

This book looks at history and the patterns that tend to emerge when these substantial shifts happen and how to navigate it as best one can. It's a bit high level and I've only just started it, but I think it'll be a worthwhile read.

Watch

The treadmill's dark and twisted past (~4min)

While I quite like going for a run, I'm not the biggest fan of running on a treadmill, even if it involves watching Netflix as I "exercise".

Turns out, we may be onto something about the dread that the treadmill causes! I had no idea this is how the device actually began!

Quote I'm pondering

“He who lives by the crystal ball will eat shattered glass”

– Ray Dalio

One of the fascinating things I find about experts in any field is that after a while, the things they talk about trend towards philosophy more than technicality. Be it Warren Buffet, Naval Ravikant or for this week, Ray Dalio, their maxims seem to transcend their field.

This doesn't need saying but the future is uncertain. While Ray himself likes to write books and articles on repeating patterns his quotes suggest not holding onto them too strongly. As the saying goes, history doesn't repeat but it does rhyme...

That's it for another week of random. I'm curious what you think of the subtle changes in the newsletter this year. Do you like/dislike them? Anything you'd want to see? Email me to let me know! There's also a survey riiiight at the bottom tell me what your favourite section and for further feedback. I'd love to know what you think!

Stay random!

- Raffy

PS - What was your favourite part of the email this week? Do you like/dislike the subtle changes this year? Let me know with 1 click! I read the survey every week (& keep tweaking things with your feedback!)

Sunday Surprise uses affiliate/referral links in the newsletter. This does not change the recommendation/verdict but may result in Photos by Raffy receiving a small commission and will be marked in orange. Non-affiliate links will appear as blue. Prices recorded may vary.