• The Week #302

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    • πŸ“š School is back in session and Leo is officially in the third grade. Second grade was really hard for all of us, so we hoping that this new year (and more importantly a new teacher) enables a better school life. Only 4 days in, but so far it's looking to be the case. Even Leo has noticed (and expressed) that his feeling has changed and something feels different inside him. So far things are looking up.
    • πŸ™οΈ Work moved offices. We're not far from our old location – in the building directly across from our old one. It's so high up we have to ride two elevators to get there, but the view is great. It's only been a day, but the vibes are (good) different. I'm looking forward to working with the team in this new space.
    • πŸ–₯️ Appropriate icon – after nearly 22 years I bought a desktop computer. Not for myself but for the family (nice story, right?). I settled on a refurb 10 core M4 iMac with 24GB ram and 512GB storage in green. Desktops are soo good. The screens are large. They're always "charged". And they're always in the same location so it can become a place you do a task.

      Why now? Why a desktop? It comes down to 3 goals with a family computer: basic computer literacy, learn how to use computers as a tool for creating, more/easier to limit and less addicting than an iPad.

      Re: Computer literacy – My wife works at a university and the incoming students don't know how to use computers. They have no idea what a folder is or how to create them. You can do a lot on your phone, but it's no replacement for understanding how the machines that run society work. Not having that mental model in your head makes the world seem like magic, rather than something you can actually change.

      Re: Using computers for creating – Leo's mentioned wanting to learn Scratch again. You can't really use Scratch on an iPad – they're too small, the UI is fiddly, it's designed for non-touch devices. Learning how to use Scratch will teach the foundations of programming, but more important the analytical thinking skills.

      Re: Limits and easier to limit and less addicting than an iPad – I think this one is pretty self explanatory. iPads encourage consumption (not that they can't be used for creation, but they encourage it) and I don't want my kid to become an iPad kid. Screen time seems to work a bit better on macOS in terms of locking down apps, allow-listing websites, and the like. And because it is a desktop in the living room, there is no sneaking off with it and hiding with it. i.e. It's easier to monitor usage.

      That's my working theory anyways, we'll see if it works in practice.

  • Checkin to IKEA Restaurant & Cafe (IKEAγƒ¬γ‚Ήγƒˆγƒ©γƒ³&カフェ)

    Dinner before looking for a desk

  • Checkin to Saza Coffee (γ‚΅γ‚Άγ‚³γƒΌγƒ’γƒΌ)

    Cappuccino paid with points.

  • The Week #301

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    • 🏝️ We made a short trip to Okinawa (as you probably already know from my checkins). This was my first visit to Okinawa and our first domestic trip by plane. My impressions of Okinawa are two: the sea air really does a number buildings and holy smokes this is like being in America.

      The first is true, I think, of any tropical island. The second was the made-for-cars wide streets, with nobody walking or on bicycles. The highway also wasn't chock full of cars either.
    • 🏨 We stayed up in Manza Beach at the ANA Intercontinental, a resort hotel from the end of the bubble and about halfway to Churami Aquarium. The hotel was quite nice with a pool and beach area that had a huge athletic in the ocean. The first day we arrived around dinner time and ended up having dinner at the "Italian restaurant". Which turned out to be michelin guide listed (no stars) Pizza Studio Tamaki. Apparently it's main shops are near-ish to my office πŸ˜‚, but incredible pizza either way.
    • πŸ› Day two Leo and I braved the cold-ish ocean water to get out on to the athletic and walk / climb around. Leo was screaming and having a good time. He also faced his fears a few different times. Was it worth the Β₯4,000 per person? From an experience perspective, when am I ever going to have this opportunity again? So most definitely worth it.
    • 🐠 After playing on the athletic we drove up to Churami. We only visited "the main event", which is a massive whale shark. I need to go back and see all of the other exhibits as there was so much more to explore.
      Whale shark
    • 🏠 So the question I always ask when I visit someplace: could I live there? And for Okinawa, I think I probably could for a short period, but car dependence would grind on me after a while.Β 
    • ✈️ On the plane I watched Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, which I really wanted to watch and it lived up to my expectations. Recommended.

  • Checkin to Naha Airport (OKA) (那覇空港)

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