This is a haul post, showing off what I bought.
Anker Lightning audio connector
Around this time I was heading out to exercise while listening to YouTube more and more often, and my AirPods, whose battery had gotten short, were a pain to use. The iPhone 11 Pro Max lasts a long time on a charge anyway, so even though the cable is long, going wired lets me listen almost all day, which is nice. Once I started using wired earphones, I needed to use them on the MacBook too, and since the iPhone’s bundled earphones do not plug in directly, this is the item I bought. Every now and then it fails to wake up properly from sleep mode, but apart from that I am using it happily.
MUJI ballpoint pen
The one on the left is the old pen and the one on the right is the new model.. and the new model turned out incredibly ugly. I had been perfectly happy with the old one, and since they announced the change, I bought enough pens to last a lifetime..
BONAVENTURA
It is a leather iPhone case. The brand is famous in Japan, but in Korea there do not seem to be many wallets of this quality.
Happy Hacking Keyboard Type S, Hybrid
A new model came out, so I bought it right away. Setting it up the first time was a struggle because it would not pick up the driver properly (the default is Bluetooth, so there was trouble when I tried to use it over USB..), and after that keys would occasionally register wrong, which turned out to be an OS problem. Anyway, after all the ups and downs I am using it happily, but if it were not for USB-C support I think I could have just stayed with the old Type-S model.. I doubt I will ever really use it over BT..
Scissors
I finally bought the stainless scissors I had wanted for ages. They are heavy.. and if you hold them wrong you could hurt yourself. Anyway, they come apart easily and staying clean is a big plus..
Apple Watch Series 5, titanium model
After using the Series 0, moving to the Series 5 is so good.. and thanks to the light titanium model I can wear the 44mm, which is nice too. When you have it on all day, even a few grams makes a big difference. On top of that it scratches a little less than the stainless model. It took until the fifth generation for a model I actually like to arrive. I think I can keep using this one for about five years.
The bands, though, are another story: apart from the second-generation Nike band there is hardly anything worth using.. I wonder when a band that fits the way I use it will appear, light, not sweaty, in an inoffensive color.. I might need to stock up on a few more of the second-generation Nike ones.
Apple Watch stand
I had no idea, but they had been putting out new versions all along. And the Apple Watch cable has changed too, so it does not fit my old stand. Anyway, I am using it happily. If you use an Apple Watch, a stand is a must-have item..
Rubber gloves
Well.. I am using them just fine.
Fushigi na Osara
The name means “the mysterious plate”, and it is a plate that holds the heat when you put it in the microwave so you can do simple grilled dishes. Grilled food made without oil is not all that tasty, but it is good when you want to chop up some vegetables and grill them quickly. Shiitake mushrooms, for example, and sometimes eggplant, and I have tried all kinds of other vegetables too, none of them bad. Vegetables cooked all the way through are perfect dipped in ponzu.
The manual says you can do steak, grill fish, all sorts of things, but unless you are in a situation where the microwave is all you have, a plain frying pan tastes far better..
That said, I used it a lot for a while, but lately I have lost my channel for cheap vegetables (the produce market moved farther away), so I hardly use it anymore.
1TB external SSD
It is incredibly small and incredibly light. It runs about 140,000 won, and being able to use it on the MacBook and the iPad at the same time is handy. I wish 2T would come down in price a bit, but who knows when that will happen..
mont-bell umbrella
It is unbelievably light and easy to carry, yet at around 1m it is also quite big. The problem with small umbrellas is that they are too small and you end up getting rained on, but since I started using this one I have never worried about that. I looked into just about every umbrella sold in Japan, and this model turned out to be the most usable. I keep it in my bag at all times, so rain is never a problem. The one flaw is that it flips inside out easily when you open it. It seems to be a structural thing. Whether it is durable and stays waterproof is something I will only know after a few more years of use.
iPhone case
Everyone tells me the design looks like something an old guy would use.. well, an old guy is using an old-guy case, so it hardly matters. It is extremely tough and protects the iPhone well. Next time I buy an iPhone I should get one of these early. At this level I do not think I need to look for a better case.
Xiaomi air pump
It is a device for pumping air into bicycle tires, and using it on the Brompton is great. You are supposed to get up to around 100psi, which I had never managed before, and with this the ride quality is fantastic. I think it is because the tires absorb shocks better..
Panaracer adapter
It is an adapter that converts a tube’s valve from the British type to the American type, and it costs about 500 yen. The British type is also called Dunlop, and it is the valve commonly used in Japan. I bought it because the valve has to be the American type to use the Xiaomi air pump, and it has been very handy.
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