Received my physical mail (including two puzzles) to unlock access to Puzzmo, and it was a delightful approach to the sign up process. More of this, please!
Love taking public transportation for a slower but more appreciative immersion in moving about a city. Admittedly, I do too much driving/taxiing around here, but the Metro Transit has such nice buses.
Piles & Piles of Books
Came across this article via Tracy Darnell's blog, and what an essay! A masterstroke of reflection on books that connects right into my brain-thinking.
I have new books to read, upcoming books I want to read, old books to read, and only one lifetime
Sure, you could say this about any format of media. But there's something way more visceral about the physicality of books. You can put them on shelves, pile them up on a nightstand, or optimistically smash them into your luggage. There is so much diversity in typography, images, color, sizes, and formats for books that it's a truly joyful medium to collect.
But is collecting books a problem when, as Molly Templeton admits, you don't get around to reading many of them, and instead, "think about them. Appreciating them, you might say." She "can’t wait to get lost in it. Just, you know… later." There are, alas, too many other distractions and demands of one's time, and books sometimes don't make it into your day.
Anyway, she nails it with this:
Can there be comfort in the things you’re not reading? Can they be books that are just waiting for you to find their moment? Stories you need, just not yet, like snacks you put in your pocket for later, stored up for when you really, really need them? I’m pretty convinced this is the case. Haven’t you ever picked up a book months, years, decades after it came out and found it was exactly what you needed to read just then?
Yes, there can be a comfort in the books you aren't reading, or the books you have read years ago that you probably won't read again but just maybe you might want to read again to revisit those feelings you had about it, or rather to simply meet the vibe of it. Books are magical, transporting, beautiful objects that require your imagination and literacy skills to unlock the potential of. Thankfully I've got some space still to store more of them and my partner isn't going to cast me out of the house (yet).
This retrospective on The Exorcist is marvelously done. Excellent headline typography and placement – half the fun was scrolling through the quotes from the attendees in 1970s.
The Slimmest Wallet Pursuit
🕖 Last updated: Dec 18, 2023
Back on my bullshit again.
I've been searching for, putting through the paces, and reviewing wallets for over a decade now. And I'm restless again, because someone must be improving the design to meet the holy grail of "nearly as small as the cards that go in it, with a smidgen of room for the occasional few bills".
There are many that come close.
But there are only a few that achieve it.
Considerations
I'll skip the pontificating because no one has time — The following facets were primary considerations:
- Material: Built with strength and longevity in mind. I prefer non-leather wallet materials, which ruled out brands like Bellroy and Saddleback
- Size: The aspiration here is minimal footprint inside any carry pocket — wallet bulge is disgusting. Hence the wallet shouldn't exceed the dimensions of a card by much.
- Functionality: When you get into this narrow arena, functionality becomes a consideration because these wallets are incredibly minimal, and some require pull-straps or other clever ways of extracting contents.
Top Three Wallet Recommendations
Here are the wallets you should be thinking about if you share a similar philosophy about the everyday carry essential:
- Re:Form Wallet. This one surprised me — so much so that it's what I'm currently using everyday. Sleek, functional, and well-made. It has magnets for a slick bifold enclosure, and they rule. One of the two tentpole versions has a coin/AirTag sleeve option. Very pocketable, very thin, waterproof, and fair capacity (up to eight cards) make this is a highly recommended, top-tier choice.
- Tom Bihn Nik's Wallet: This has been a steady champion for years — a bifold miracle that's a pleasure to use. No degradation in the fabric or materials, including its enclosure strap, and it loads a handsome 5-10 cards, including several metal credit cards with the ability to stash cash all while conforming to a near-card-sized dimension. Incredible. Plus the fabric-feel of halcyon (or their ballistic nylon options) sings in the hand.
- Trove Swift: I've gone back and forth with this wallet for a similar number of years, and it's a rugged champ. True, some of the options for it include leather, but I recommend going with the carbon fibre. It has three slots snug against an Italian elastic band, so this thing is literally the length of a credit card (the slimmest you will ever get). It also features a rad little pull strap that quickly extracts your cards from one of the slots. It's fast, it's barely visible in a pocket, and it lasts.
- Slimfold. A lot of folks like this one. I reviewed it years ago. It's okay. It's bigger than I'd like it to be, the materials are flimsy, and it doesn't feel confident in its design.
- Super Wallet. Probably my first minimal wallet purchase yeeeeeeaaaaaars ago. It did not hold up well. It's all just fabric. They made a leather one but I don't know why. Meh.
- Pioneer. I like these, but the material is super rigid, and their smallest form factor one (Molecule Cardholder) has too large a dimension. It holds up exceptionally well, though. Here's my review from a while ago. I'm also selling this one if you want it for a major discount.
- Peak Design Mobile Wallet: Lastly, this. It offers something neat for those who care: it comes in a stand variant (small flap that flips open to provide a stand for your phone), or without. Either way, this one is different in that is also magnetizes to your iPhone with MagSafe. Whether you care for it or not, this is still actually a sleek, small wallet with an unique fold-top design that, upon opening, pulls up and outwards to reveal your stack of cards inside. It's less organizable, and the material is the lousiest, but it still hits the mark.
And that's it. Look no further than those three. I'm not making any affiliate fees off this, so it's my honest opinion. Take with it what you will.
What did I miss?
A few considerations that make the rounds or that I've personally tried in the past that just don't cut it:
Thanks for reading. Goodbye.
I used to follow Aisle One for years, but at some point the RSS feed I had must’ve dropped off and I inadvertently forgot about it. But recently it cropped back up, and there’s a fantastic newsletter as part of the new approach to content. Highly recommended.
A short but note-worthy take on management and career-pathing that really resonates with what I’ve seen over the years:
Good management is a skill. There are too many accidental managers, promoted because they were good at what they did, rather than because they were suited to what lay ahead.
More career options in addition to management is critical.
Who isn’t loving the Midwestern autumnal vibe right now.
This worm celebration by Camryn Bynum was perfect last night.
Love this sketch card of a classic Tom Bihn Synik bag and the things you can pack into it. Comes slotted into one of the cardholders in their equally classic Nik’s Minimal Wallet. Both amazing products for everyday and traveling uses.
Mural at Groundswell.
Nice to see the dev behind Really Bad Chess returning to gaming with Puzzmo, which — I quote — brings us a “place for thoughtful puzzles”.
Also love their email tactic: they’ll “let you know about tomorrow’s key drop 5 minutes before we tell the rest of the internet”. Brilliant call to action.
Warehouse and fulfillment are a curious industry to shift into “gig work”, but that’s exactly what seems to be happening as labor needs continue to heat up. PepsiCo is an early adopter, though I’ll hold my breath on how well the more stringent and compliance-based workloads go with this approach.
Om sums up the soulless hell of social media quite nicely in this piece:
“In this reality, the primary task of these [social] platforms is not about idealism or even entertainment — it is about extracting as much revenue as possible from human vanity, avarice, and narcissism.
Films are longer. Blame blockbusters and prestige directors. Or maybe streaming competition. Who knows after reading this, but the data is surprising.
The wonderful world of dive bar politics by way of the Men’s bathroom door — Anchor Bar, Superior WI.
Bayfield, WI from a perch on the Madeline Island ferry. Pleasant sojourn at the island for the weekend. Lots of grilled white fish accompanied by wine, Old Fashioneds, and beer.
You hit a certain age… and you start to think more about aging. So I’ve been savoring any article like this one from the Guardian.
Overall ➔ good to know vocabulary peaks at 65, and happiness in our eighties.
Great find from Kottke (actually a repost from a decade ago) about the Japanese artist using Microsoft Excel to paint. It’s a rather fascinating methodology, and I love the maximization of a tool within its limits.
My first concert in several years was fantastic at the Turf Club. Saw Islands perform, alongside some human-looking puppet named Andy on stage. They played several tracks from the new album, but also broke out a few classics. We sat at the bar the whole time, which is the right vibe for this place.
The Economist has a fantastic focus in their latest Technology Quarterly about the pursuit of immortality.
In short, immortality is impossible, mostly due to physics and the human genome, but… extending life is very much a possibility and near-future reality.
What a way to open this article on the FTC suing Amazon.
Sea of Stars has been a really charming throwback to so many great SNES-era RPGS. Reminds me of the serious plot (but plenty of whimsy) that games like Chrono Trigger brought along, with touches of much-needed modernity of the UI and gameplay. It’s excellent.
A really neat app from the makers of Halide was released today called Orion. In a throwback homage to VHS design cues, this turns your iPad into a portable screen for cameras, video game consoles, and computers of any kind. Great idea, great execution. They even made a guide for adaptor devices.
While I rarely think about playgrounds (no kids here), from a zoning perspective and for children’s creative enjoyment, they are immensely valuable. This recent Axios article had me surfing through fond memories of running through the massive structures in Bloomington growing up.