Sluice Issue #5

Sluice  | by Arthur H. Manners

Issue #5

Things to share this week

1. Film/TV: Palm Springs, starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti and J.K. Simmons. This film has great fun with time loops, something surreal and thought provoking but doesn't take itself seriously (at all). A woman ends up getting stuck in a time loop at a friend's wedding, along with a man who's been caught in the same loop for so long he's forgotten his life before. Attraction ensues, and you know the drill — only it's set against some wacky groundhog-day type antics (though my personal favourite time-loop analogue is the episode Window of Opportunity from Stargate SG-1). As O’Neill would say, this film is WACKO! 2. Books: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Sometimes books come along at just the right time, and for me this book did. A woman whose life has fallen apart almost kills herself, only to end up in a library filled with books detailing every possible life she could have had — books she can dive into and experience. She gets to try out all the ways it could have been, challenging her assumption that her life going wrong was all her fault. This book is one of those unassuming treasures.3. Electronics: Keychron K6 65% Wireless Mechanical Keyboard. If a good keyboard doesn't give you a shiver of delight, better skip this one. (And also, what's wrong with you?) I've been using the K6 for about four months and it's now my go-to. You get a lot of keyboard for your money. Light, portable, with great bluetooth connection and seamless one-click device switching. The battery is great as well, I have to charge it once a week or so. I got the RGB backlit version without the aluminium case, with hot-swappable brown switches (meaning you can change the switches by hand for a different typing feel). I'm now taking it apart to modify it, which is easy even for a clumsy idiot like me (see the blog for more). Definitely recommended piece of kit for anyone who likes to travel light but loves a good typing experience. 4. Apps: Evernote. This one's a bit obvious. You probably don't need me to tell you about Evernote. But I'm including this for anyone who hasn't encountered this or similar productivity software. Evernote is an all-in-one app for note taking, schedule setting, file keeping and archiving. It has too many features to talk about here, but the main thing I want to highlight is it’s search capability: provided you tag things well and use sensible file names, you can use the search function to find just about anything with ease. It can even read text from photos and PDF’s and scans. I use Evernote as a dump for any note or piece of paperwork I’ll ever need, knowing I’ll be able to find it in seconds, maybe years later. There’s even an app called Scannable that will scan documents straight to Evernote from your smartphone using the phone’s camera. Evernote totally replaces physical filing systems and the need for complicated filing systems on your computer. 5. Audiobooks: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, narrated by Andy Serkis. I've just come across this, to my shame. Most definitely the best audiobook narration I have ever heard. Andy Serkis is always a treat, and in The Hobbit we get the full treatment: Gollum from the master himself, and some great voice acting for the roles of Bilbo and Gandalf and Thorin. I haven't gotten to Smaug yet, but I'm sure the voice will not disappoint. I’ve included the link to Audible, but you can get it anywhere they do audiobooks.

Until next time, be good.

Best regards,

Art

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