Andrew Haglund

I bought the base M4 Pro Mac mini and have a twinge of buyer’s remorse after seeing the base M4 Max Mac Studio. For $600 more you get 2x the GPU, 2 more CPU cores, 12 GB more RAM, SD card slot, and more ports.

The only downside? Less cute.

As the world crumbles into disarray Apple unveils the iPad (A16) for $350 and iPad Air (M3) for $600. The compare page shows minor differences: processor, laminated screen (P3 color), keyboard/pencil support. The base iPad is a steal and is more than enough iPad for 90% of people.

Yesterday it hit mid-50s. In central Illinois this is cause for much celebration. I went on a few walks, got some food, and observed the following:

• A cluster of students leaving a neighbor’s house, all speaking French.
• Two women holding hands, one with an eye patch.
• At lunch at the new H Mart, practically everyone was speaking Korean or Japanese.
• A group of students fundraising on the Quad for the war in Ukraine.

By all counts, a town in the middle of cornfields should be as plain as a slice of Wonder bread. Instead it’s abuzz with people from all over the world. People who came here as students or teachers to better themselves and others.

I love Song Exploder, I love Alvvays, I love Archie, Marry Me. This episode has been in my queue for a while and I finally got around to listening.

Molly Rankin, in the episode:

It was one of my first attempts at really trying to execute writing something that I would listen to. Until then I was writing a lot of stuff I wouldn’t go out of my way to hear. I wanted it to be a classic pop song.

The lyrics remind me so much of my wife and our wedding. We had plans for a larger wedding but then COVID hit and we turned it into an outdoor family party. With the exception of my friends and faraway family not being able to attend, it turned out to be way more our speed.

“Forget the flower arrangements,” indeed.

An absolute crazy thing is that the only time I’ve seen Alvvays play was in the foyer at the Krannert Music Center in Urbana, IL at Pygmalion fest in 2016. After we paid to see Car Seat Headrest, Alvvays were just playing in the atrium for free where local jazz bands play on weeknights. It was unreal. Here was the band I loved just there. It was a really fun time.

I’ve been on a Bowie kick recently (because check notes: Bowie is amazing). Some recent listens: Blackstar ★ (2016), The Next Day (2013), Scary Monsters (1980), “Heroes” (1977), and Ziggy Stardust (1972). It’s unbelievable that his last album (and death) was 9 years ago. From Lazarus:

Look up here, I’m in heaven. I’ve got scars that can’t be seen.

This song absolutely rips. Knowing he was dying when he wrote it rips through you. I remember hearing the album in the day it dropped and again two days later when the world learned he had passed away. It took on an entirely new meaning.

There’s been scuttle online about an asteroid hitting earth in 2032. Matt Webb’s post captures what I found entertaining about the overall sentiment. It reminds me of the great song Five Years whose drumbeat lives in my head rent-free.

Also, who could forget the greatest tribute to Bowie: “This is Bowie to Bowie, do you hear me loud and clear, man?”

When it seems like the world is in disarray, clutch onto art.

Catching up from the Grammys: congrats to Beyoncé for Cowboy Carter winning Album of the Year, which I called back in my Q1 2024 update.

I’ll be flabbergasted if it doesn’t win Album of the Year.

It’s the first time a black woman has won this award in 25 years which is insane. Her performance at the footyball game was sublime too.

I flew today but didn’t learn of last night’s crash until after I landed. I cannot imagine what the families were going through and my hearts go out them.

I could not help but emphatically nod along when I saw this comment on Reddit describing the timeline of events:

• Jan 20: FAA director fired
• Jan 21: Air Traffic Controller hiring frozen
• Jan 22: Aviation Safety Advisory Committee disbanded
• Jan 28: Buyout/retirement demand sent to existing employees
• Jan 29: First American mid-air collision in 16 years
• Jan 30: Whitehouse addresses the nation. Donald Trump blames DEI, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama for the tragic accident.

I don’t want to come across as crass by comparing a real-world tragedy with fiction, but I was immediately reminded of an unforgettable scene in the season 2 finale of Breaking Bad (spoiler warning) when we learn Jane’s father is an air traffic controller. Having just lost his daughter, he is grief-stricken and a plane crash occurs. It shows that despite Walt continuing to justify his misdeeds, our actions have severe, irreversible, and widespread consequences. Far beyond what we can fathom.

There will be an extensive investigation to what happened but I feel like this Reddit user put together the pieces. In the name of “government efficiency” Trump is dismantling the structures that keep us safe. Let’s not mince words: 67 people died because of Trump’s actions. As with everything else, there will be zero consequences for him.

As wrap up week two of Trump’s presidency I urge you to imagine the harm he will cause over the next four years.

(PS Matt Birchler had a great take on Trump’s anti-DEI rhetoric on this, which is again, deflecting from the core issue of not respecting labor in this country. Especially in demanding and serious occupations.)

Zuckerberg, after being extorted by Trump for $25 million, complains about his own privacy in 404’s excellently titled, Everything I Say Leaks, Zuckerberg Says in Leaked Meeting Audio:

…everything I say leaks. And it sucks, right?

And what I’d say is: everything he says sucks.