HowNot2 is an amazing resource for the climbing community. They make videos and guides about gear and how it will/won’t break, AND they’ve made a world-class store with great prices and better shipping. Orders ship same day or it’s free! I placed this like 30 minutes ago and it’s already shipped.

Logo with stylized text “How NOT 2” featuring carabiner, green text “Breaking Gear Fear.” Below, notification states “Your order is on the way. Track your shipment to see the delivery status."

As foretold, I just placed an order for an M4 MacBook Air! 😁 I decided to try out Upgraded, the company that does 36-month 0% interest financing with upgrade options after 2 years (similar to the iPhone Upgrade Program), that I mentioned back in December. I’ll let you know how it goes! 🤞

Did a little recon of ice conditions this afternoon, March 7. Pics 1-4 are Lock Ness (sketchy, had to jump over a stream to get there). Pics 5-7 are Little Moscow (fat and fun). Pic 8 is Pitchoff Right (looked better than I hoped, but I didn’t look up close).

Three Flows (right side) and Buster/Bowser still looked good as I stole looks while driving the Cascade Pass. Will Roth told me NSOP was “really good” today too.

Icicles cascading down a rocky cliff surrounded by snow-covered ground, with leafless trees and evergreens above under a partially cloudy sky. Trees stand still, surrounded by snow and rocks, with partially frozen waterfalls cascading down a wooded hillside. Birch trees stand upright in a snowy landscape surrounded by a forest with patches of ice visible on rocks beneath a partly cloudy sky. Thick ice formations stand among tall trees surrounded by a snowy forest. Sunlight filters through the branches creating a serene winter landscape. Man wearing a green helmet looks at an ice-covered rock face with climbing gear attached in a forest. A frozen waterfall cascades down a slope with an orange climbing rope alongside it in a forested area with tall trees surrounding the icy formation. Snow-covered slope with bare trees standing still among scattered rocks in a hilly forested area during winter.

A little impromptu High Peak ski this morning with @izzolp33, snagging Esther Mountain after skinning up the Wilmington Trail at @whiteface_mt. Conditions were better than we hoped! (Forgot the summit pic! 😭)

Just gotta reiterate that I love reading my social timeline (Micro.blog via @sod’s experimental feeds) through the new Reeder app. Super fast, timeline position sync, great design and conversation view…it’s awesome!

A digital interface displays a conversation about an app called PhotoSync. Participants discuss its versatility for transferring photos. Background features abstract, colorful landscape art.

I’m pretty psyched about the new M4 MacBook Air! It’s very likely my next computer—my first MacBook Air ever!

It’s missing just two things that I was hoping for: a nano-texture display option and the C1 cellular modem. The modem was a longshot, but it would’ve future-proofed this Mac well for me.

A little guide’s day off action on Three Flows with @joewagnerphoto. Right line is still fat! Killer blue ice across the pass too.

Winter’s still roaring in the ADK. There’s still time to book a trip to climb some ice in March!

Two people wearing helmets and winter jackets stand smiling and looking upwards in a snowy forest with bare tree branches surrounding them. Icicles drip down a rugged rock face surrounded by snow and sparse trees in a cold, outdoor landscape. A climber wearing a red jacket stands on a snowy mountainside holding a rope. The landscape features rugged, tree-lined slopes under a cloudy sky. A climber wearing a blue jacket and helmet uses ice axes to ascend a frozen waterfall high in a snowy mountainous area surrounded by trees. Two people interact with a frozen waterfall on a snowy slope surrounded by bare trees. One examines the ice wall while the other stands, equipped with climbing gear and rope. A person wearing a helmet and a red jacket grips climbing ropes attached to an icy slope, surrounded by snowy trees. Ropes are attached to an ice cliff with carabiners, indicating an ice climbing activity. Leafless trees are nearby, and snow covers the ground, suggesting a cold environment. A frozen waterfall cascades over a rocky hillside surrounded by snow and evergreen trees visible through bare tree branches in a wintery forest setting.

It was a distinct pleasure to climb and film with @joewagnerphoto, @karl, and @blakecort for @arche.productions on Three Flows today! Superb conditions and stoke from the crew gave me the confidence I needed to lead my first WI4 when the easier lines to the left didn’t look as good. What a fun route!! (You’ll have to wait for the official footage to see me on the sharp end. 😉)

Trekking with Todd up Allen Mountain for @highpeaksmountainguides on Sunday was a joy! 14 miles on skis, 4 miles in snowshoes. The crystal-clear bluebird views made the bitter cold 1000% worth it! (And the best butt-slide in the ADK. 👌)

🆕📝 7 Things This Week [#171]

Two socials, four blogs, and one video for you (belatedly) this week.

It just occurred to me that I’ve not seen blog posts from a few folks in my RSS reader since they moved hosting house. I dunno how many others I’m missing out on. This is your periodic plea to maintain your own RSS URLs (with redirects if necessary). 😘

cc: @pratik@writing.exchange @maique@social.lol

Today’s goal: install the new propane heat stove. Success! But at the cost of my cook stove being disconnected for a potential leak—and nearly my water heater refusing to relight. 🤦‍♂️ Between those, major roof water damage, and recent purchases, this is shaping up to be an expensive home year. 🏠

🔗 iOS 18.4 adds tons of new Shortcuts actions, hints at Siri’s future upgrades

Inside the updated Shortcuts app, you’ll find new actions to change settings for various Apple apps. And within each action there’s an extremely granular deeper layer of actions you can perform.

[List of example Safari actions.]

All of this clearly isn’t here just to benefit the Shortcuts app.

Rather, these more fine-grained actions lay the groundwork for new powers Siri will gain in a future update.

It’s about time that Shortcuts got some love!

Jason Kottke:

America Alone. That really sums up America’s current foreign policy. Trump is remolding the United States in his own image — bigoted, confrontational, erratic, reactionary, greedy, belligerent, vindictive, petty, friendless, authoritarian — and he won’t be content until the US is as lonely and isolated as he is.

Winter weather fuels Adirondackers in their favorite outdoor pursuits! The 3P Race (Pole, Pedal, Paddle) is an awesome community event here in @saranaclake that showcases the joy in outdoor movement, no matter the sport. 13.4 miles of alpine skiing, biking, Nordic skiing, paddling (the still partially frozen river), running, and flat-out fun.

Thanks to the dozens (hundreds?) of folks who made this happen! I already can’t wait for next year.

Via Jason Kottke:

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.” Because the US is a Russian ally (or satellite?) now I guess.

If you voted Trump, you had to know this was coming. And ought to be ashamed. Our alignment with Russia (against long-standing allies) is some of the scariest stuff this administration is doing.

Cory Dransfeldt says it’s okay that we self-segregate on socia media:

Self-segregation is a fair description of what we’re seeing, but fleeing a toxic space for one that — well — is a perfectly reasonable course of action. We should be less worried about echo chambers and more worried about harassment and user safety.

“Free speech” advocates have and will continue to have free speech. What they often want — and need not be granted — is a captive audience to harass.

I tend to agree.

Zac Hall: ‘Amazon’s Alexa+ includes a feature that Siri has always needed’

Not only is Siri on your Apple Watch unaware of what you’ve discussed with Siri on your HomePod or Siri on your Apple TV, but the “improved” version of Siri doesn’t even run on any of those devices.

[…] That means the Siri experience is as good as it will ever get on products without Apple Intelligence. Siri’s performance on devices with Apple Intelligence is another story.

In a world with Private Cloud Compute, why can’t every Apple device do Apple Intelligence? Put it in an iMessage chat!

Sunday’s warmer temps made climbing Giant & Rocky Peak Ridge a joy with Todd. We had the trail to ourselves for most of the day and was even gifted a view here and there! Some epic butt slides on the way down kept things fun and fast. ~8 hours round trip

Wooden trail signs attached to a tree indicate directions: Giant Mt with arrows, and Roaring Brook Trail. Text includes Foot Trail, 1.0 miles, and Giant’s Nubble 0.8 mi. Snowy nighttime forest background. Snow-covered landscape stretches across a serene winter scene with coniferous trees blanketed in snow resting beneath a distant mountain under a misty sky. A person in winter gear hikes uphill through deep snow using snowshoes surrounded by densely packed evergreen trees and leafless branches in a snowy forest setting. A person wearing winter clothing is snowshoeing with poles on a snow-covered path surrounded by snow-dusted evergreen trees under a cloudy, snowy sky. Icicles hang from snow-covered evergreen branches in a wintry forest setting under an overcast sky. A snow-covered mountain peak stands surrounded by evergreen trees under a gray sky lightly dotted with falling snowflakes in a tranquil winter landscape. Two hikers trek up a snowy mountain slope one smiling in the foreground with a blue hooded jacket the other behind using poles surrounded by a foggy winter landscape. A person in warm clothing sits on a snowy slope with snowshoes amidst dense, snow-covered trees in a forest setting. A person stands with snowshoes and poles looking at a snow-covered mountain surrounded by trees wearing a backpack with a patch reading ADK in a snowy alpine environment.

🆕📝 The Keen is pricy, but exactly what I wanted

It was worth the year-long wait.

Kagi Search is quite good. I really like how you get an AI answer only when you add a question mark.

If you want to try it out, here’s a link for 3 months of Kagi Pro for free. https://kagi.com/p/TREATC2611328 🚨 It’s only good for 3 users, so click fast!

Dial in your winter systems with a ski tour through the beautiful High Peaks region in the heart of the Adirondacks! Extend the adventure by camping out with our experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly guides.

@newyorkoutdoorguides @lakeplacidadk #Adirondacks #PerfectDayADK #HireAGuide

There’s nothing quite like climbing these spectacular frozen formations, especially when illuminated and sparkling on a dark winter’s night! Come climb with us on Thursday evenings or book a private trip!

Is it just me, or will the Mac App Store not let you use Touch ID to purchase an app?

🆕📝 7 Things This Week [#170]

After a few weeks hiatus (sorry!), I'm back with a pretty good haul, I think!