I’ve just ordered the Rabbit R1.

I was tempted when it was first announced, but the first version seemed to miss the mark and was widely considered almost useless. But the team behind it kept going. They’ve refined it, improved it, and the new version of the OS looks much more capable.

I’ve also had a craving to play with hardware for a while now. The Playdate is on the wish list, as is basically anything designed by Teenage Engineering.

The R1 still has a compelling promise: a simple, dedicated device for asking questions, checking a status, capturing a thought or task. Maybe having a specific device for that means I pick up my phone less often, and avoid getting dragged into the usual time-draining habits.

Maybe it still isn’t quite there and ends up unused in a drawer within a couple of weeks.

Only one way to find out.

After twelve months away from it I'm returned to Whoop. I got a lot of value out of it when I first used it, but when my son was born I knew training would have to take a back seat for a little while. We're now in more of a position where regular training is happening, goals are being reset and my craving for more data is increasing. 

Of course 24 hours after re-subscribing, Google announced the Fitbit Air. It looks great but perhaps a little basic in terms of sensors and datapoints. I'm looking forward to seeing what the early reviews make of it because the price point is otherwise excellent. A screen-free, cheap, data capture device that I can then apply my own analysis to is exactly what I'd opt for.

Switching to Fastmail

I've used Google Workspace for about 15 years now, and it's been great. The Google ecosystem is comfortable and works well. But more recently — and AI may well be the trigger here — I've wanted to have more ownership of my own data. To know where it is and what it is being used for.

To this end, I've started to build a personal database. I'll share more on that another time, but I'm opting to capture books, films, wines and coffee beans in there rather than use and maintain four different social services that are all essentially just advertising platforms. AI can now provide answers to the "based on my profile, what would I next enjoy" question, so I can trim away the rest.

It's a common saying that if you're not paying for the service, then you and your data are the service. So much of the Google ecosystem is shared, analysed, surfaced and optimised around keeping you inside it, rather than simply providing a requested service.

Email felt like the obvious place to start. Not because I think it's the most at risk, but because it sits underneath so much else. It’s a 15-year archive of messages, receipts, logins, family admin, travel plans, account recovery. A boring utility, until you stop and realise how much of your life passes through it.

I’ve had my own domain for years, so my email address itself isn’t changing. That makes this a much lower-risk move than it would otherwise be. I don't need to ask anyone to update contact details (my parents still try and email my university address!) and I’m not breaking old accounts. I’m just moving the plumbing from Google Workspace to Fastmail.

In theory, this is exactly the kind of internet I prefer. Open standards. A paid service with a clear business model. IMAP, SMTP, custom domains, boring reliability. Less “ecosystem”, more utility.

There’s something quite appealing about that. So let’s see how long this phase lasts.

Having Kids

And while having kids may be warping my present judgement, it hasn't overwritten my memory. I remember perfectly well what life was like before. Well enough to miss some things a lot, like the ability to take off for some other country at a moment's notice. That was so great. Why did I never do that?

See what I did there? The fact is, most of the freedom I had before kids, I never used. I paid for it in loneliness, but I never used it.

With my son now approaching his first birthday I can relate a lot to this piece from Paul Graham. Raising a child has been considerably harder than I anticipated. Don't get me wrong, it's equally the most incredible and fulfilling experience too, but it is relentless, and in the tougher moments it's easy to look back and think about the freedom you've since lost. 

Except I never used it.

It's just easier to essentially blame that fact on another part of your life than own up to it. There's also no reason why that freedom has to be lost, and this is something my wife and I are trying to fight. Sure, it's harder to travel with a one year old. Even more so with a dog. But it's far from impossible if that's what you really value. 

Craig Mod: MacBook Neo and How the iPad Should Be

I agree with a lot of this. The iPad has for too long occupied this strange middle ground. The hardware has been extremely capable for years whilst the software has inexplicably lagged behind. This is now more noticeable with AI.

I've been tempted through the years to consider the iPad Pro as my primary machine. After all, a vast majority of my work only requires a browser; everything of note is a web app or would have an iOS app available. But now, a main device that cannot run Claude Code or Codex wouldn't really be an option. It would feel like having my hands tied behind my back.

The Neo looks to be a great machine. A desire for that kind of device is why I picked up a second-hand 12-inch MacBook last year. Small and capable, though without an M-series chip it was never going to be a long-term main machine.

I still wonder where the iPad fits into my routine. Not as capable for work as a MacBook. Not as good to read on as my Kindle. Not as immediately available as my iPhone.

As Craig finishes by saying, it'll be very interesting to see how John Ternus approaches this when he begins as Apple CEO in September. The iPad is clearly very successful and a popular device, but is an ever closer convergence between iOS and macOS the right approach?

It'll also be fascinating to see how rumoured devices like the OpenAI hardware Jony Ive is working on may disrupt this space. Does the future of computing look completely different in ten years' time?