My doctor, in his infinite wisdom, has decided I need to wear an Apple Watch—something I absolutely detest. Sure, I love my old mechanical watches, the ones that tick away with soul and history, but fine… I’ll play ball. It’s fun to mess with tech every now and then. But here’s the problem: charging. My phone is already a hassle on the road, but throw a watch into the mix? Suddenly, I’m tangled in cables and scrambling for outlets in every godforsaken hotel room. It’s a nightmare.

Enter the Zen Travel Charger. Now, let me be clear—I couldn’t care less about charging speed. I’m not sitting there watching the battery percentage climb. No, the beauty of this thing is simple. I set it up on the hotel nightstand, toss my phone and watch onto it, and let them simmer overnight. When I wake up, everything’s fully juiced and ready to go. No fuss.

The Zen is plenty fast though… but the real magic is in its design. It folds down to this neat little package, slides into my tech pouch like it was born to be there. Best form factor I’ve found so far, and trust me, I’ve been through plenty. If you’re in the market for something that won’t make your life more complicated, I highly recommend this little gadget. It’s about as good as it gets when you’re fighting the war on wires.

Details here.

I’ve got a wild, borderline abusive relationship with Leica. On the one hand, I worship them for their genius in design and their relentless pursuit of optical perfection. But on the other, I can’t stand their corporate nonsense—their obsession with cashing in on the brand’s “fashion” status. Limited editions, gaudy collaborations… it all sends me spiraling into madness. None of that bullshit does a damn thing for photography.

And yet, like clockwork, they drop something so beautiful, so tempting, that it’s impossible not to want it—despite the fact I can’t afford the damn thing. This year’s torture device? The Leica M11-D. A digital camera stripped down to the bare essentials, like a classic M-camera that just happens to shoot digital. No nonsense, no distractions—just pure, unadulterated simplicity.

Oh, how I’d love to run wild with this thing. Maybe in a few years, when the used prices dip below “sell your soul” levels.

Details here.

The Rollei 35—a pint-sized 35mm film camera with ergonomics that could drive a man to drink but a lens so sharp it could cut glass. No bells, no whistles—just raw, fully manual control and zone focusing that left no room for error. But if you were looking for something that could slip into your pocket and still hold its own against a Nikon F3, this was the only game in town.

Naturally, the awkward little bastard built a cult following over the years—diehards who swear by its charm and simplicity. That devotion runs so deep that Mint Camera just dropped a modern twist on it: the Rollei 35AF. Same quirky handling that’ll tie your fingers in knots, but now with lidar-based autofocus and a built-in meter to sweeten the deal.

It’s a thing of beauty, and make no mistake—it’ll fly off the shelves faster than you can blink.

Details here.

I usually steer clear of the consumerist bacchanalia that is Prime Day, but this year the gods of necessity demanded tribute. My quest led me to the holy grail of modern travel: a reliable charger. The Anker 100W GAN charger, a beast of efficiency in a deceptively small package, had long taunted me from the digital aisles. Its power-to-size ratio is the stuff of legend, but the price always loomed like a menacing cloud over my aspirations. Then Prime Day reared its head, offering a seductive 40% discount. The die was cast. I plunged in, credit card blazing.

Maybe it will tempt you as well… Details.

I found myself in a wild-eyed frenzy, gripped by the unrelenting need to possess the sleek and seductive Distil Wally wallet. But the cruel reality hit like a whiskey-soaked sledgehammer: this damned piece of minimalist marvel had no place for keys. What in the name of Hunter S. Christ was I supposed to do about the keys? How the hell would I carry them?

Simple. I wouldn’t.

The answer was clear, shining like a neon sign in a midnight desert: no more keys. I ripped out the old locks on my lab and home, replacing them with the seductive promise of smart locks. I knew the Schlage Encode Plus reigned supreme in this high-tech kingdom, but I wasn’t about to sink five hundred bucks into this mad experiment.

So, with the conviction of a lunatic on a mission, I delved deeper and settled on the Aqara U100, the scrappy runner-up in the cutthroat world of smart locks. At $189, it was a steal compared to the Schlage, boasting all the bells and whistles, plus a nifty fingerprint reader for that instant access.

Two weeks in, and not a single failure to report. The HomeKit integration purrs like a well-fed tiger, and the auto-lock feature is a godsend. I’m happier than a gambler on a winning streak.

To hell with those keys. Who needs them, anyway?

Details here.

Whole home energy backup with an expanding ecosystem of modules… This system is pretty dope. I especially like the fact that the modules are only 5.9″ deep and are wall mountable.

Details here.

I don’t often recommend apps… but this one has changed my life. Things is essentially a todo app available and synced on all of your devices. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. If you are a busy person, give this thing two weeks. It will change your life too…

Details.

I’ve had this thing a little over a week now… and can say, fairly confidently, that this thing is every bit as reliable as the Prusa, fast as hell, and really… well, the first plug and play 3D printer.

Details.