Not only did we survive the first year, we bought a house, uprooted our lives, and I landed my dream job while juggling the role of newborn dad.
When reminiscing a few weeks back, Cassidy astutely pointed out: we did that all by ourselves. Aside from the grandparents watching 'A' (our kid) a few times when we visited Wisconsin, we didn't have much help available. And we're incredibly proud of what we've accomplished together.
This has been the most rewarding year of my life. I keep telling myself I'll have time to sit down and write it all out. To reflect, record the memories, and put together beautiful, poetic writing that tries to capture my experiences. I now understand that this "time" thing is somewhat of a problem, and this writing will likely never materialize.
But that's okay, because I have all of the memories – special moments seared into my hear which I won't forget for the rest of my life. (And not to mention an iCloud Photo Library bursting at the seams.)
I will mention one small moment that 'A' and I share together frequently. Even though we're a year in, I still find myself in his room, at any hour in the night, rocking him back to sleep after he woke up a bit uneasy. The moment I pick him up, he calms. After a few minutes of rocking, he'll let out a long sigh and fall asleep in my arms. I'm left to stare out the window at the night sky, or close my eyes and let my mind drift. It's serene, it's peaceful, and it's just the two of us.
I understand that soon he'll be too old (or at least too big) for me to rock him back to sleep – this thought is devastating to me. And so for now, I'll enjoy it every time I can.
Sam Henri Gold, in a fantastic essay in context of the MacBook Neo launch:
Obsession works by taking whatever is available and pressing on it until it either breaks or reveals something. The machine’s limits become a map of the territory. You learn what computing actually costs by paying too much of it on hardware that can barely afford it.
Even if you don't read the post, just scroll through the screenshots on Nick Heer's recent blog post showcasing the changes to Apple Pages from Mac OS X Lion, all the way to macOS Tahoe.
I don't need to add any commentary – Nick's post is comprehensive. The decline in clarity and usability is staggering.
Worries that software developer jobs are going away are backwards. There is SO MUCH software to build right now, that previously wasn't possible (uses AI directly) or wasn't cost-effective (too niche). We're going to have more developers, and orders of magnitude more software.
It’s hard to see if you live in a tech bubble like myself, but much of the world runs on shitty, glued-together systems (if they have software at all).
Where is the bespoke app that helps someone start and run a childcare business out of their own home? What about the tire shop down the road — is there something that could solve their problems that doesn’t exist?
In light of AI efficiencies, some companies may choose to become more lean. The industry may certainly restructure. But I agree with Kenton — the net result will simply be more software, and in places that it has never been before.
And nobody is better at creating software with AI tools than software engineers.
If you've spoken with me for more than eight seconds, you may know I'm unable to shut up about Waymo and self-driving cars. Earlier this year, Waymo ran its service in Austin as an invite-only program before opening to the public. During this time, I logged 62 rides, 355 miles, and 1,363 minutes of Waymo-ing around town!
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are exciting to me – I see the remarkable potential they have. While I have no actual industry experience with the technology (my knowledge is that of a fanboy), I thought it would be fun to lob a thoughts about the future into the abyss of the internet.
Specifically, I'd like to predict what the state of autonomy will look like by the end of 2030. If I'm right, you’ll see me gloat on Bluesky or something. If I'm horribly wrong, this webpage will 404.
I'd like to start with one of the more contentious issues: cameras versus lidar.
One of my first encounters with a Tesla Robotaxi – I spotted two of them charging together in Austin
Sebastian's concepts for Apple's rumored OS redesign feel spot on. I'm curious how this will play out on macOS, where most modern software is merely a web wrapper. As a fan of 'Mac-assed Mac apps', I hope this redesign elevates apps that adopt the platform's UI, making web wrappers feel clunky and dated.
The day after my birthday, ‘A’ and I were sitting on the floor of the nursery late. (It was 8pm, which is considered late now.) I was using my leg in a V-shape to hold him upright, his head near my knee.
His eyes fixated on me, in a strange and unusual way. I tried what I had been for weeks at this point: making faces, sounds, and clowning around in attempt to get even the smallest reaction out of him.
The first few weeks of this felt like a comedy routine performed to an audience of bricks. (Screaming bricks, specifically.) While ‘A’ has become more expressive capable of eye contact over time, there still hasn’t been a clear “call and response” between him and I.
Preface: Last week, my wife (Cassidy) and I became parents! While I plan on writing more extensively about our time at the hospital, this series is intended to process stray thoughts and memories as they happen.
Here are a few notes from our first few days home with our son, who I refer to as ‘A’. (Perhaps we'll call the second and third ‘B’ and ‘C’?)
The Pebble was my first smart watch. I purchased a the original model in jet black not long after release. I was in high school at the time, and I recall it drawing a bit of attention at the summer camp I worked at. Maybe it was my age, but I certainly felt dorky wearing it!
Now, in 2025, you wouldn’t glance twice.
I had really, really,really hoped that someone else would come along and build a Pebble replacement. But no one has. So… a small team and I are diving back into the world of hardware to bring Pebble back!
I’m thrilled it’s making a comeback. A hackable, affordable e-ink watch? I don’t care how dorky it looks.
The emphasis is on sustainability. I want to keep making cool gadgets and keep Pebble going long into the future.
You think you understand love before kids. You don't. Every other relationship comes with implicit conditions. Partners choose each other daily. Parents love you deeply, but there's history. With your child? It's different. It's a love so fundamental it becomes part of your operating system.
Most people believe the media is biased. Anyone who doesn’t see this is paying scant attention to reality, and those who fight reality lose. Reality is an undefeated champion.
Newspaper endorsements never made sense to me – especially in a low-trust environment. Shouldn't a publication's aim be to build credibility with readers? I agree with Bezos: a failure to build trust will drive people further into social media and podcasts, where standards for news and journalism can be near-zero.
Sunday was Formula One day in Austin, Texas. The infrastructure to move 400k people to-and-from a suburban race track is enormous! Pictured is one of the (hundreds) of buses leaving, after dropping us off back at our parking lot on the north side of the city.
I'm not sure I love this image when squashed into a small rectangle on this site. It looks great when large.
Straight out-of-camera from the Fuji X100VI (because editing photos takes too long). Years into the advent of EVs, and the supercharging experience is still unparalleled.
After placing an order in February, and waiting many agonizing months, I got my hands on the Fujifilm X100VI – perhaps the most coveted modern camera (and my first non-Nikon purchase).
This camera is essentially my child
One of the enticements of this camera (albeit minor), is its ability to shoot HEIF images out-of-camera, as opposed to standard JPEGs. HEIF is a modern image format (created in 2015), that provides better image compression. JPEG was created before I was born.
I’m a modern man, and a modern man demands modern image formats.
If everyone can see the whole, they won’t ask why it was built a certain way. They’ll see all the ways you built then backtracked, all the ways that didn’t work. And the same obviousness in your decision making that’s clear to you, will be clear and obvious to everyone else.
The graveyard of self-driving car projects is full, and for good reason. I think the technology must reach near-100% perfection before it can become a part of our day-to-day reality.
Friday (the 2nd) was launch day for Apple Vision Pro. Two days later, I found myself on a newly-installed L-shaped bench in the Apple Store, sitting next to Nick.
While Nick explained how the demo would work, a different employee silently placed a Vision Pro on wooden platter between us.
I love the cute little cover they put on the front
After a few rolls processed with this new film camera – I’m learning things!
1. People love the look of film!
For me, this photo (of my wife) from our recent trip to Canyon Lake evokes a strong emotional response. I immediately feels like I’m looking at a fond yet distant past, in spite of this occurring just days ago.
