notsocrazyanymore

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/11676258

The Nocturnal Ambient switches are insanely quiet. I am typing at normal speed now that I moved the keys up one row so that it matches my Planck. A much more familiar layout, a much softer approach to typing, I still miss the tactile bump feedback, which is what makes typing satisfying, but this has been an incredible experience so far. So smooth, so soft, and just so sleek and ergonomic.

Now that I've completed my article for work, I find myself trying to find things to type and write about. It just feels so good to write this way.

The Nocturnal Ambient switches are insanely quiet. I am typing at normal speed now that I moved the keys up one row so that it matches my Planck. A much more familiar layout, a much softer approach to typing, I still miss the tactile bump feedback, which is what makes typing satisfying, but this has been an incredible experience so far. So smooth, so soft, and just so sleek and ergonomic.

Now that I've completed my article, I find myself trying to find things to type and write about. It just feels so good to write this way.

Test writing on a new and improved Voyager that has the Nocturnal key switches. As intended, I am using the uGreen stand to see if the Nocturnal switches work the best when one can hover one's hands over a tented keyboard. So far the main benefit seems to be that it is very silent. But it doesn't give the kind of feedback I have come to appreciate with my Kahli silver. That is also a very silent and light weight switch, one that people have complained in the past as too easy to accidentally activate keys. This one is completely different. It is muffled, there is barely any feedback to enjoy. While I am not accidentally activating any keys, I am very tired trying to find a way to sense where the keys are and also to enjoy the fact that I am using a mechical keyboard. Now I am trying to type without using the uGreen stand, and it feels much more comfortable again. I am now going to switch to the Planck to see how I feel compared to this keyboard.

My Planck has a different switch now, my beloved Boba U4 switches. It is still relatively quiet but has an amazing bounce to it that gives me a satisfying, full sensation that I am typing on a keyboard. Yet it is super light weight, I do not need to press the key beyond some bump or all the way to the end. i just need to gently carass it. Because of this, using this 40% keyboard does not feel cramped at all. I can easily and lightly glide my fingers around the board and feel exactly how much I need to press down to type. This makes the keyboard much more ergonomic feeling than the Voyager.

Let's connect back to the Voyager. I have to also admit that I am not sure how I am supposed to navigate these thumb clusters. Apparently this is already a very simplified way of using thumb clusters in a split ergo, but I didn't need to use these on the Planck and everything seems to be just fine. So why is it that I need to extend my thumbs all the way out to press these buttons?

Had a great time pulling out the Voyager on a tram today, typing up some deep thoughts on a 40 min ride. It was quite comfortable, though I had to balance my backpack a bit. Very soothing to have a fun keyboard around to process on the road thoughts.

So I also decided to test out a tented split mechanical keyboard called the ZSA Voyager. I've bought from this Taiwanese company before, first the EZ Planck (now out of production), then the Moonlander (returned it after a few weeks, as it did not work well with my hands), and now the Voyager.

So far, I think the strength of this keyboard is the ability to tent it up however you like so that the hand is in a relaxed vertical ''handshake''. I bought the reddit recommended uGreen magnetic phone holder (it is very sturdy), and am so far enjoying how my thumbs feel when the keyboard is steeply slanted. When the keyboard is completely flat, the thumbs are easily fatigued as they need to stretch out to reach the two thumb clusters and also to hover or rest.

I am very relieved that out of the box, with only adjustments to the thumb keys, I was able to exceed my expected speed and accuracy in no time.

So I think I am committed to this device this time!

Nocturnal switches, here I come!

I'm brainstorming a story based on an interview. The interview is running in the background on my laptop while I pick up quotes and jot down ideas around it with the Micro journal rev 6.

No more writer's block-- writing on this was a dream.

The main problem, however, is that you can't scroll back to read earlier content after 2000 characters. YES. THE SCREEN BUFFER ONLY ALLOWS 2000 CHARACTERS AT A TIME. The text is not lost, but it no longer shows up after you've rebooted or exited to the menu page and came back or after syncing!

This is devastating for me and honestly a bit of a deal breaker. I left an issue on the github page to see if there's any way I could access, read at least, or edit past texts.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/11199149 (now updated with Lee's response)

Featuring two Planck keyboards.

I didn't think I'd ever be able to buy a Micro Journal make, given how popular the models are (they are all homemade by Um Kyu Lee in Italy and they literally fly off the shelves within minutes of each drop).

But somehow, I managed to snag the one I like the most, the Micro journal Rev 6 (rev 2 is a close contender) after I'd already given up and bought the Palma 1 to pair with my Planck EZ. I felt rather guilty buying a Micro journal based on a Planck keyboard.... in fact, technically I already have everything I need to make my own version of the Rev 6: raspberry pi, external battery, Planck, three types of small screens compatible with Rpi. But I don't have the time to figure out how to encase it into a bona fide cyberdeck and my coding skills are subpar. So I eventually relented and bought the Palma on sale. Well... a few days later, I scored a Micro Journal rev 6. It's been nothing short of orgasmic typing on this thing.

Which is why I am now selling my wonderful, beautiful new e-reader: the Boox Palma 1. Even though Micro journal is not an eink device, I can't justify spending this much money (on top of the parts I've acquired to make my own) on a minimalist writing set-up... (the cheapest version of this would be plain pencil and paper, no batteries needed, completely offline).

So if anyone's in the EU market for a brand new Palma 1 (black) plus two flip cases, I'm happy to sell within the EU for exactly the amount I paid (I received the item in Taiwan so I didn't have to pay EU VAT): 205 euros (shipping not included). For reference, the Palma 1 is currently on sale for 230 euros (also no free shipping) in the EU store.

https://euroshop.boox.com/products/boox-palma?variant=43381943599304

My Palma in action, I'm using KOreader here:

With the Planck EZ (and Obsidian as software):

(text me xoxo)

On that note, I might eventually sell my Planck EZ, too, if the Microjournal becomes a complete replacement of the use cases I have for it. It's already out of production, so it might also be worthwhile to keep this nice little gem. It's so well-made. But 250 dollars being the price I paid, I really can't justify keeping it around without using it.

Anyway, back to the Micro Journal Rev 6. Everything is as advertised, I bought the right kind of battery and installed it with no issue. Charged it for 4 hours as recommended. The package includes two QR codes, one that explains the layouts of the different layers (alt, shift, and alt+shift are all keys used to toggle between the four layers-- this is useful to know if you're not going to bother to change the layout, as it's not at all apparent where some of the keys are from the printed keycaps, which only reflect the main and shift layers. There are more keys available in the alt and alt+shift layers, like the colon and the dash). Once I get ahold of a laptop with a SD slot, I'll update the firmware, set up Google drive, and change the layout just to reflect the layers I set up for my Planck EZ.

But right now, it boots immediately to my last writing screen for immediate typing (there's a cute boot animation that can be disabled, it gives the device so much character!). I changed up the background and foreground colors to match the vibe of the keyboard and that's all there is to the tinkering of settings. No excuse whatsoever to procrastinate from writing (the demon of 'I need to optimize my device, then start writing"). Of course, once your SD card is in the computer, you can tinker as much as you want, but the device alone won't distract you from clacking away.

I am very perplexed about the bag of keycaps I received with the device, which... came with the keycaps I ordered already. Are the rest for a separate full keyboard? If so, why? Or are the keys already on the 40% keyboard from a bigger set and this is just Mr Lee's way of giving me the rest of the set that I paid for? I sent him an email to clarify. But regardless, I am so stoked that I got the milk tea keycap set (don't know if we have a choice or not) with the Chinese character “奶“ (milk) for the space bar and the enter key. This suits me very well (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥.

Something about Lee's makes make it easy for a girlie girl to join the fun (not that I am one), as the aesthetics of writer decks tend to be on the futuristic-neutral side of things. I think I saw a hello kitty version of this device in one of Lee's blog posts. I am perfectly happy paying for the aesthetics, the ease of use, and the fact that I am supporting a one-person Maker succeed in doing what they love.

Oh, another note for potential buyers of Micro journals. You can pick whatever colorway and swipe your card to nab a device during a drop, and then write Lee what you'd like your colorway to be instead. Be super nice though, as he doesn't have to honor the request. The devices are made to order so it was ok at the end that I changed my colorway.

Now I just need to hide this from my baby as much as I can....

Edit: This all seems so positive, it's like a sales pitch. To balance things off: it's very clear that this is a DIY made-at-home device and I came in eyes wide open. There is no sleek website with a detailed guidebook and handholding (like ZSA does for their keyboards, complete with proprietary layout software and type-training). One must be careful every step of the way: there is no team proofing the device against all kinds of dumb consumer behavior. Mr Lee wasn't joking when he said that eye-hand coordination is needed to insert the SD card: it's not clear which orientation works and there's not so much guidance built into the system to ensure a secure, good insertion. The three (?!) seemly identical USB-C slots are for different purposes. I still don't know why there's two on one side. The battery must be inserted carefully and according to instructions, or the thing will combust. The filaments from 3D printing are still here and there, to be brushed aside like spiderwebs.

These DIY qualities don't affect my user experience because the price is really fair and I know what I'm paying for. I'm just really glad that a Maker can create a business out of their makes!

I didn't think I'd ever be able to buy a Micro Journal make, given how popular the models are (they are all homemade by Um Kyu Lee in Italy and they literally fly off the shelves within minutes of each drop).

But somehow, I managed to snag the one I like the most, the Micro journal Rev 6 (rev 2 is a close contender) after I'd already given up and bought the Palma 1 to pair with my Planck EZ. I felt rather guilty buying a Micro journal based on a Planck keyboard.... in fact, technically I already have everything I need to make my own version of the Rev 6: raspberry pi, external battery, Planck, three types of small screens compatible with Rpi. But I don't have the time to figure out how to encase it into a bona fide cyberdeck and my coding skills are subpar. So I eventually relented and bought the Palma on sale. Well... a few days later, I scored a Micro Journal rev 6. It's been nothing short of orgasmic typing on this thing.

Selling a new Palma, skip if not interested ----

Which is why I am now selling my wonderful, beautiful new e-reader: the Boox Palma 1. Even though Micro journal is not an eink device, I can't justify spending this much money (on top of the parts I've acquired to make my own) on a minimalist writing set-up... (the cheapest version of this would be plain pencil and paper, no batteries needed, completely offline).

So if anyone's in the EU market for a brand new Palma 1 (black) plus two flip cases, I'm happy to sell within the EU for exactly the amount I paid (I received the item in Taiwan so I didn't have to pay EU VAT): 205 euros (shipping not included). For reference, the Palma 1 is currently on sale for 230 euros (also no free shipping) in the EU store.

https://euroshop.boox.com/products/boox-palma?variant=43381943599304

My Palma in action, I'm using KOreader here:

With the Planck EZ (and Obsidian as software):

(text me xoxo)

On that note, I might eventually sell my Planck EZ, too, if the Microjournal becomes a complete replacement of the use cases I have for it. It's already out of production, so it might also be worthwhile to keep this nice little gem. It's so well-made. But 250 dollars being the price I paid, I really can't justify keeping it around without using it.

---------- end of Palma talk ----------

Anyway, back to the Micro Journal Rev 6.

Everything is as advertised, I bought the right kind of battery and installed it with no issue. Charged it for 4 hours as recommended. The package includes two QR codes, one that explains the layouts of the different layers (alt, shift, and alt+shift are all keys used to toggle between the four layers-- this is useful to know if you're not going to bother to change the layout, as it's not at all apparent where some of the keys are from the printed keycaps, which only reflect the main and shift layers. There are more keys available in the alt and alt+shift layers, like the colon and the dash). Once I get ahold of a laptop with a SD slot, I'll update the firmware, set up Google drive, and change the layout just to reflect the layers I set up for my Planck EZ.

But right now, it boots immediately to my last writing screen for immediate typing (there's a cute boot animation that can be disabled, though it gives the device so much character!). I changed up the background and foreground colors to match the vibe of the keyboard and that's all there is to the tinkering of settings. No excuse whatsoever to procrastinate from writing (the demon of 'I need to optimize my device, then start writing"). Of course, once your SD card is in the computer, you can tinker as much as you want, but the device alone won't distract you from clacking away.

Edit: The only other thing the menu does is show a list of ten docs, each named by the current character count (so no time wasted naming files and whatnot). I wonder what happens when I want to create more than ten files.

~~I am very perplexed about the bag of keycaps I received with the device, which... came with the keycaps I ordered already. Are the rest for a separate full keyboard? If so, why? Or are the keys already on the 40% keyboard from a bigger set and this is just Mr Lee's way of giving me the rest of the set that I paid for? I sent him an email to clarify.~~ Edit: I ordered keycaps. Mr Lee gave me a full keyboard set, with the default keys already installed.

~~But regardless,~~ I am so stoked that I got the milk tea keycap set (don't know if we have a choice or not) with the Chinese character “奶“ (milk) for the space bar and the enter key. This suits me very well (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥. Edit: And I can't wait to switch the switches and use my Kahlil silver or U4 Boba switches.

Something about Lee's makes make it easy for a girlie girl to join the fun (not that I am one), as the aesthetics of writer decks tend to be on the futuristic-neutral side of things. I think I saw a hello kitty version of this device in one of Lee's blog posts. I am perfectly happy paying for the aesthetics, the ease of use, and the fact that I am supporting a one-person Maker succeed in doing what they love.

Oh, another note for potential buyers of Micro journals. You can pick whatever colorway and swipe your card to nab a device during a drop, and then write Lee what you'd like your colorway to be instead. Be super nice though, as he doesn't have to honor the request. The devices are made to order so it was ok at the end that I changed my colorway.

Now I just need to hide this from my baby as much as I can....

Edit: This all seems so positive, it's like a sales pitch. To balance things off: it's very clear that this is a DIY made-at-home device and I came in eyes wide open. There is no sleek website with a detailed guidebook and handholding (like ZSA does for their keyboards, complete with proprietary layout software and type-training). One must be careful every step of the way: there is no team proofing the device against all kinds of dumb consumer behavior. Mr Lee wasn't joking when he said that eye-hand coordination is needed to insert the SD card: it's not clear which orientation works and there's not so much guidance built into the system to ensure a secure, good insertion. The three (?!) seemly identical USB-C slots are for different purposes. I still don't know why there's two on one side. The battery must be inserted carefully and according to instructions, or the thing will combust. The filaments from 3D printing are still here and there, to be brushed aside like spiderwebs.

These DIY qualities don't affect my user experience because the price is really fair and I know what I'm paying for. I'm just really glad that a Maker can create a business out of their makes!

As pictured, I now have a Palma 1 + Planck EZ writer deck setup.

Delighted by this Pikachu bundle: yellow Gameboy Pocket + Pikachu Gameboy Light screen (IPS mod) + Pikachu yellow cart. Modded by a Taiwanese local who goes by Mr Blue (藍).

And... I did it, boys.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/10300503

So.... I went to a DIY market today and found this guy selling restored and modded Gameboys. Couldn't get over the cuteness factor here-- a Gameboy Pocket modded with the backlit screen of a Gameboy Light Pokémon, with two USB-C rechargeable batteries included. It came with the game, which I test played and loved.

I then randomly drew four games, the whole thing coming down to about 95 euros.... yes... I know that I totally overpaid, but I'm brand new to the modding market and otherwise don't have the drive or time to find reliable sources in my area. Very happy to get One Piece, Tetris, and Doraemon (but not the meaningless horse race betting game) in the draw, but it's all in Japanese! Will have to figure this out.

I was super excited to see GBA Rhythm Heaven offered from mint condition to second hand, but the guy was selling them for at least 22 euros and I had to get a Gameboy Advance to play it.... so I guess that's that for now.

I hope that with this ridiculous purchase, I won't be tempted to buy Playdate.

This guy restores old Gameboys, in some cases, upgrading the screen to have backlights (warmth and brightness). They're adorable. But they're also between 50-80 euros (including a game).