Finished reading: Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen 📚

Finished reading: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen 📚

I’m enjoying going back through books I loved as a kid. This is one that shaped me.

🆕📝 7 Things This Week [#175]

Heavy nostalgia in this one.

Jason Kottke shared another platform-agnostic music linking service with a catchy name, but my favorite is album.link. It’s more full-featured, and has a great URL. (And does songs and podcasts too.)

🔗 Trump illegally fires Democrats on Consumer Product Safety Commission:

On Friday, Donald Trump abruptly removed the three sitting Democrat appointees on the five-person U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – the independent watchdog agency that issues recalls and regulates everyday products, including consumer electronics. With no apparent cause for removal, the firings violate existing Supreme Court precedent dating back to 1935, as did Trump’s removals of the Democratic commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) back in March.

It feels hopeless when nothing comes of it.

My short but wild ride reading this @matt@isfeeling.social article:

“Nice, Matt’s found a new font!”

“Wait. No, he likes a new game.”

“Wait. No. He likes a new show that sounds like a game!”

“Oh wait, he did find a new font.” 🤣

John Siracusa makes another Apple stalwart critiquing how it’s lost its way, and he’s calling for new leadership:

The best leaders can change their minds in response to new information. The best leaders can be persuaded. But we’ve had decades of strife, lawsuits, and regulations, and Apple has stubbornly dug in its heels even further at every turn. It seems clear that there’s only one way to get a different result.

In every healthy entity, whether it’s an organization, an institution, or an organism, the old is replaced by the new: CEOs, sovereigns, or cells. It’s time for new leadership at Apple.

Robin Rendle discussed his blogging flow on Manuel Moreale’s People & Blogs series. The whole interview is quite good, but this bit stuck out to me:

But heed this lesson: your blogging tech stack should not be smart. That’s the most painful thing I’ve learned over the years. We need to take out all the complex build tools and fragile parts that slow us down and prevent us from doing the writing. It doesn’t matter if you’re using the coolest new tech thing, what matters is this: how fast can you write and publish something?

All my little shortcuts and tools are in service of this.

🔗 A literary history of fake texts in Apple’s marketing materials:

One rule of Dimension Apple is that there is no cross-over: The people who populate any given update are all new to that update, and never appear again in future marketing materials. “Rich Dinh” and “Trev Smith” are unique to iOS 17; “Sarah Castellbanco” and “Eden Sears” to iOS 8; etc.

With one exception: John Bishop.

What an amusing trip down the rabbit hole.

MacOS Keyboard Shortcuts to Get Things Done | Matt Langford

A few weeks ago, I decided (finally) to embrace some custom keyboard shortcuts on my Mac. I’ve tinkered a bit over that time, but I’ve landed in a place where I’m happy with the results. I’m going to detail every custom keyboard shortcut I’ve created and the apps required to make them work.

Matt’s got a really helpful list here. I’m going to have to copy a few and make better use of the Hyper Key!

🆕📝 Two bits of good Apple TV+ news

New seasons are coming for two great shows

We wrapped up April and kicked off May with 3 more summits on Tom’s tick list! Dial and Nippletop provided challenge and beauty with the miles and elevation gain. Tabletop’s approach was more pleasant, but the last half mile proved particularly dicey with a shark’s fin of snow taking up the narrow trail. Tom crushed it both days, always with a smile and a chuckle at the hard bits, reveling at the payoff views of the high peaks. 25 miles and 6000 feet of elevation gain over two days is not for the feint of heart this time of year, but Tom proved himself!

@newyorkoutdoorguides @lakeplacidadk #Adirondacks #PerfectDayADK #HireAGuide

A hiker stands beside a rustic wooden gate with intricate designs and the text CAMP AMR in a forested area surrounded by tall trees and a gravel pathway. A forest path meanders through leafless trees with a tree bearing a mounted sign that reads Attention Alpine Zone 4000 FT. The blue sky stretches overhead. A person hiking through a dense forest carrying a backpack and trekking poles surrounded by lush green trees and sunlight filtering through the canopy. Hiker with a large backpack climbs a snowy forest trail using trekking poles surrounded by green trees and sunlight filtering through the branches. A person stands on a rocky ledge holding a yellow helmet in a mountainous landscape with clear blue skies and forested slopes in the background. Trail signs attached to a wooden post indicate directions surrounded by snow-covered ground and pine trees. Text reads JBL 5.6 ADK Loj 9.2 Dial or Lake Road St. Huberts Nippletop 0.2. A hiker in a yellow cap climbs a snowy mountain trail using trekking poles surrounded by evergreen trees with distant mountains under a clear blue sky. A person stands on a rocky hilltop amidst greenery with distant mountains under a clear blue sky highlighting an outdoor hiking scene. Two people stand smiling against a mountainous backdrop with snow-capped peaks under a clear blue sky both wearing casual outdoor attire and sunglasses. Sun casting light over distant mountains surrounded by a forest of barren trees with rocky terrain in the foreground under a cloudy sky. A small stream flows through a forested area surrounded by leafless and evergreen trees with a distant mountain under a clear blue sky. Rocky stream winds through a forest filled with tall trees and scattered moss-coated ground in a sun-dappled woodland setting. A wooden sign points left with the text Route to Table Top Mtn in a sunlit forest; the ground is covered with fallen leaves and sparse snow. A hiker, wearing a yellow cap and carrying a large backpack, ascends a narrow, snowy path surrounded by dense green trees in a mountainous forest setting.

Last weekend, I escaped the rainy ADK to climb with some friends in the rainy Red River Gorge in KY! Miguel’s and RRG was our usual weekend getaway back in the CMU days, but it’s a longer haul from NY now! Still, mega fun weekend ticking off some classic routes that I hadn’t done in years, and trying hard on new ones.

📺 Finished watching: The Residence

Poster for “The Residence” shows a person with curly hair holding binoculars, standing in a room with framed portraits on the walls. Text next to the poster reads, “‘The Residence’, 2025. Wildly entertaining, captivating, and funny! I think I want more of this even more than I want more of Knives Out.” Rating: two thumbs up.

Apple’s got a new ‘Snapshot’ page (tool?) on their site. Curious. (Via 9to5Mac)

Finished reading: Frightful’s Mountain by Jean Craighead George 📚

Another solid entry in the series. One more to go.

This new Maggie Rogers single rules! 🎵

🆕📝 HeyDingus Now Runs on iCloud

It's been a long time coming

Welcome @kyleford@hachyderm.io, his site houseofkyle.com is a new member site of the One a Month Club!

When the weather’s warm and sunny down south while it’s wet and dreary up north, you go to the Gunks! A perfect weekend spent with good friends from @adkclimb.club! Finally tagged Ken’s Crack (5.7+) on this trip — what a great little route.

People carry climbing gear on a forested trail smiling and walking. A leafless wooded area with rocks and a stone structure surrounds them. Person in foreground wears a cap with “ONE MOVEMENT”. Man wearing a green helmet smiles while standing on a rocky cliff edge holding a climbing rope in a wooded area with people below carrying gear. A climber wearing a helmet and harness ascends a rocky cliff face surrounded by rugged terrain and scattered trees. A climber wearing a pink helmet holds a rope and smiles while gear is arranged beside them. They are near a rocky cliff in a wooded outdoor setting. A fire pit burns with bright flames at night on a dark surface with pants and a box labeled Sam’s Choice on a bench nearby in the background. Five people smiling and posing at a restaurant table holding menus. A green lamp hangs above, creating a warm, relaxed atmosphere. One person wears a hat with “Two Skis Means” text.

This cabinet is full of clowns. But dangerous, dangerous clowns. 🤡

Let’s nerd out on some anchors I used this weekend at the Gunks! Let me know your favorite one and any questions. 🤘

A: I use this for the top out whenever possible because it sets us up for an efficient rap back down, and using the rope makes for a strong-yet-stretchy anchor.

B: When the anchor’s gear is close together, this classic setup is quick and clear. And getting the rack ready for your second to easily grab is just polite, plus reduces the chance of a dropped piece during a handover.

C: Make your master points high and tight! But then don’t be afraid to extend it to better position the rope and yourself to give an effective belay. Your tether being part of the anchor can complicate things if leading in blocks, but this was the top out so it was ideal.

@newyorkoutdoorguides @lakeplacidadk #gunks #climbing #HireAGuide

Ropes are rigged through metal chains on a rocky surface functioning as a climbing setup. The text details a pre-rigged system for climbing and rappelling: A - Pre-rigged through chains - BHK for belay point - Pre-rigged rappel device below with another BHK blocking for personal tether - Advantage: Super speedy rappel after follower tops out. Climbing gear hangs on a rock face secured by ropes and carabiners creating a safety system. Blue letter B overlay with text explaining equipment setup and advantages in a climbing context. Climbing setup with a sling wrapped around a tree and ropes clipped into a carabiner system above rocky ground. Text: - Sling high on tree with rope clipped and extended out toward edge - BHK in rope for belay master point - Personal tether out of backside of BHK - Advantage: High anchor with extension reduces drag and allows me to see my follower

All of the fun today with @adkclimb.club friends at Jewels & Gems! Dustin’ off the cobwebs for a glorious rock season. Come climb with us! (Link to book a trip in bio)

Three people wearing climbing gear ascend large rock faces in a wooded area. Each is engaged in a different angle climb with ropes attached navigating the rugged rocky surfaces surrounded by leafless trees. A black and white dog stands tied to a tree in a forest clearing with climbing gear and boots placed on the ground nearby.

It won’t be for a long while, but the Subaru Solterra EV will probably be my next vehicle.

Finished reading: My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George 📚

This book was formative for me back in my middle school years and is precisely why Peregrine Falcons are my favorite bird. A quick read, but certainly makes me want to run away to the woods. I’d forgotten the disappointing ending, though.