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| Dispatch #36 (February 2026) | 2026-01-29T22:40:09-05:00 | false |
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Greetings from frigid Durham, North Carolina. We've had an uncharacteristic amount of winter precipitation this month (mostly ice last weekend but a few inches of snow this one). On the one hand, our work is pretty flexible and we've gotten plenty of extra time with the kids. On the other, my home office and all my hobbies are in the basement, where it's presently around 40°F, so I'm about ready for things to get back to normal.
{{<dither IMG_3192.jpeg "782x600">}}Bundled up in a double stroller, both kids happily munching snacks on a chilly street.{{}} {{<dither IMG_3258.jpeg "782x600">}}Snowy woods selfie: bundled mom and baby, rosy cheeks, winter headbands, big smiles.{{}}
{{<dither IMG_3244.jpeg "782x600">}}Pink pom-pom hat, tiny hands in the snow, and a big winter laugh.{{}} {{<dither IMG_3260.jpeg "782x600">}}Bundled up and ready for a snowy sled ride.{{}}
I spent a few days in Miami for a company leadership retreat. Highlights included a run along the Miami Beach Beachwalk and beers at Abbey Brewing Company. Then we headed up to DC for a friend's baby shower and some time with my folks.
While we were up there, our car finally gave up the ghost. It's been struggling to start for a while now, so it wasn't completely unexpected, but I'd hoped to replace it by choice rather than by necessity. We've got a Toyota Rav4 plug-in hybrid headed our way. I'm pretty psyched for this, getting around town on electric power but still being able to fill up with gas when we travel.
Voice Note Shortcut
I'm constantly thinking of, and then promptly forgetting, things I need to do, groceries to buy, ideas for these blog posts, etc. I've been on the hunt for some way to quickly capture these fleeting thoughts. I like the idea of a ring that can record voice memos, but this one requires a $10/mo subscription, and this one just ... turns into trash after 12-15 hours of recording.
Instead, I played around in the iOS Shortcuts app and made a shortcut that captures text from speech, then looks for a note named for today's date (creating it if necessary), and appends the dictated text to it. Then I made it so that double-tapping the back of the phone launches the shortcut (shout out Viget friend Max Myers). I'm getting a ton of utility from this, using it throughout my day. Here's the shortcut if you want to give it a shot.
3D Printing
Still having a blast with the 3D printer (though, again, too cold to operate it at present). Made a ton of toys for the kids, stuff for the house, and (of course) accessories for the printer itself.
Friend of the blog Tim Hårek linked to this post about OpenSCAD, which lets you define 3D models with code. I downloaded the program and had Codex help me make a stencil for Nev to use for her Valentine's Day cards. Then I ordered this Crayola airbrush kit, which works surprisingly well. She's been having a blast with it.
{{<dither IMG_9773.jpeg "782x600">}}Blue 3D pen and a fresh printed “happy valentine’s day! ♥ nev” card on the worktable.{{}} {{<dither IMG_9772.jpeg "782x600">}}“Happy Valentine’s day!” and “Nev” stamped on a pink slip with a heart.{{}}
We're doing our company hackathon in a few weeks, and I'm planning to use the printer to make something with both a physical and digital component (probably involving AprilTags).
Finally, RIP Dan McQuade. 43 years old. What the hell. I'm off to go hug my family.
This Month
- Adventure:
- Project:
- Skill:
Reading & Listening
- Fiction: The Will of the Many, James Islington (via)
- Non-fiction: The Magic of Code, Samuel Arbesman (via)
- Music: I've got a bit of a backlog here; gonna spend some time with the records I already have (assuming the basement warms up)