2020 Year in Review — Books

January 1, 2021
3 min read

This year I’ve made a public commitment of reading 20 books. I finished those in April and made my way through 19 more before the year ended. Mostly those were audiobooks, which were perfect fit for 2-3 hour walks with my daughter while she was sleeping. Here are the best out of 39.

I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart

Didn’t expect much going into this. I tried watching Kevin Hart stand-ups and couldn’t finish even one, although I enjoyed movies and some YouTube videos with him. But this book is so good, I think it should be taught in school. Seriously. It is that good. It’s about life and decisions you have to make along the way. And of course it is funny as hell.

No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings

Great read if you want to find out about an unconventional company culture and how it works even in a big company. There is just a bit of Netflix history (for that you will be better off reading another good book — That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea by Marc Randolph).

This one is mostly about how culture and processes were made. What’s even better — the book was written together with Erin Meyer, who studies company cultures, and she was given full access to the company.

Hitler by Ian Kershaw

At some point I’ve realised that I’m not very good at history. Of course, I know some major points, but dig just a little bit under the surface, and I’m lost. I decided that the best way to learn about World War II was through the lens of the most crucial figure. And as I understand this is THE biography. It covers everything available from the birth to the last breath of Hitler and shows how the decisions were made.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

This book was in my “want to read list” for a long time and finally, I found it on Audible read by the author himself. It is so good, it’s hard to explain. He writes with humour, without hiding anything. It’s as much a biography as a look into some of the best and worst kitchens in the world. And it is one of those times when the author is great at reading his own book, which is rare.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight

It’s a feel-good memoir by Phil Knight. There is very little controversy in this book, it actually reminds me of Ted Lasso. But I liked it, great story and humour.

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger

Same as the Shoe Dog, this is a very feel-good biography. But it is very interesting to read about the recent history of Disney. How decisions were made, especially regarding buying up all the competition. “Disney own entertainment”.

Now writing this — what would be even more interesting is to read a book about Disney during the pandemic. How it gets through and is it as loyal to their staff as it was before?

2020 Year in Review — Music

January 1, 2021
2 min read

This year I tried to listen to more music, as for a last couple of years I was listening mostly to podcasts. And 2020 was a good year for that.

Plastic Hearts — Miley Cyrus

She is back and better than ever. Electric pop paired with punk sounds together with her voice, it’s just the recipe for success. If you still think of Miley based on her previous albums (which I actually enjoyed) give her another chance. She really has changed.

Music To Be Murdered By — Eminem

Didn’t like the his last album, so wasn’t expecting much and got blown away after the first listen. It is the same old Eminem I loved, before he mostly became a Trump hater.

He plays with words and sounds in this one like before and that is his talent. Was surprised by the release of the second volume, but didn’t enjoy it that much.

girlfriends — girlfriends

This was a surprising hit, a new band with a first album, and it is everything I could wish for form and alternative album. I added every song to the library and that says a lot.

folklore — Taylor Swift

I was surprised as much as anyone when this came out. But played it on repeat for a long time. Great album, made in isolation during the pandemic. Unfortunately can’t say the same about her second one — evermore.

2020 Year in Review — TV Shows

January 1, 2021
3 min read

With nothing else to do in the spare time because of the pandemic, TV shows became go-to entertainment. The most interesting thing this year is that most of the TV shows I will be recommending were documentaries.

Ted Lasso

This is the best TV show of the year. Apple had some good shows in the beginning, but Ted Lasso is in the league of its own. If you think of the premise — comedy about American becoming a coach of the Premier League team which is actually based on the character from the ad — you’d think creators are mad. But it works on so many levels.

It is delightful, smart and compassionate in the time when we are all fighting and hating each other on Twitter.

I watched it from the begging to the end three times, I can’t think of a better way to recommend it.

The Last Dance

I’m not a basketball fan and this documentary didn’t change that. But I loved watching the story of Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls. I knew about them since the childhood, but mostly about their existence, what I didn’t know was the story itself.

It is as much about motivation, teamwork and leadership, as it is about sports. Highly recommended.

Drive to Survive

After watching The Last Dance, I decided to start another documentary on Netflix. The first season, which actually came out last year was amazing, before it had a success it had and both Mercedes and Ferrari participated in the next season, which was good, but not as good. As this documentary is about current events it gave me a very nice reference point for races themselves.

I watched all the qualifications and races this year and actually enjoyed them. I would recommend everyone who is not a fan of F1 until now if you want to start — Drive to Survive is an amazing starting point. You will get to know teams, drivers, how it very uniquely combines team and individual sport. After that watching races is much easier.

Also, another thing that helped me was a friend who is a fan for a long time with whom I could discuss races and ask for clarifications if needed.

Tiger King

It’s hard to believe that it was this year when Tiger King blew up. It was everywhere. This is the most surprising documentary. When you think it couldn’t get any weirder — here you go, they show you some totally messed up shit.

The Office

Obviously, not something from this year, but we’ve watched an American version of The Office with my wife and enjoyed it a lot. It’s so much fun, if you didn’t watch it until now I would totally recommend you do, you’ll have to stick with the Season 1 because it’s bad, but after that, it gets much better.

2020 Year in Review — Movies

January 1, 2021
2 min read

This was the worst year for movies. The only 2020 movie I watched was Sonic The Hedgehog — we went to the cinema just before the lockdowns started, it was entertaining, but not “the best movie of the year” quality. So, here are a couple of movies I enjoyed watching this year (all of them on Netflix)

The Two Popes

The cliché of “the movie which makes you think” could be easily applied to this one. Amazing story about old and new, with just outstanding actors. I started watching it late evening not suspecting much and had to stay for half a night to finish it because I couldn’t stop. Highly recommended.

Baby Driver

It was well-received when it first came out, but I somehow missed it. And I’m glad I watched it, it is fun, with some great action and amazing music. Everything you would want from a movie.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Like many I liked it more than the old three parts. This one is funny and simple. I don’t enjoy Marvel movies which try to be very serious, this one doesn’t.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Great animation, sometimes hilarious story which in some cases is over the top, but it was probably the best Spider-Man movie ever.

The Big Short

While being an amazing movie based on the true events it describes in the basic words what happened during the mortgage crisis of 2007-2008. I think everyone should watch it because it’s not just documentary it is a movie with great actors, story and style.

2020 Year in Review — Podcasts

January 1, 2021
2 min read

This wasn’t a good year for podcasts. Previously I was listening to them mostly during commute, of which there was almost nothing left in 2020. I had to unsubscribe from a couple of shows, but also found some new ones — mostly in Polish, just to listen to the language. I will mention three podcasts I enjoyed the most this year, but only one of them started in 2020.

Dithering

I like reading and listening to John Gruber and Ben Thompson, so when they announced they are launching a podcast together I immediately signed up. It is the first paid podcast I subscribed to, but I think it is totally worth it, for just $5 a month (or $50 a year, which I paid for after a couple of months in).

The premise is simple, two people you know, talking for 15 minutes three times a week. They mostly take one subject and discuss that, but sometimes they just have fun.

If you want to understand if it is something you would like — listen to the episode of The Talk Show with Ben Thompson as a guest, or they put out snippets on Twitter.

Cortex

I’m listening to this from the start and this year subscribed to the paid version called Moretex, for some extra content. They talk mostly about productivity, but not in a “life hacks” kind of way. The biggest thing I got from this podcast over the years is the concept of Yearly Themes. Instead of New Year’s resolutions you decide on the yearly theme through which you make decisions throughout the year. They even created a journal for that. I recommend listening to the podcast and trying out the Yearly Theme concept.

Zavtracast

My favourite podcast in Russian (one of the three I listen to) and which immediately goes up the queue. Guys have a great chemistry together and a lot of the time their recommendations are in line with mine. They also somehow score amazing guests from time to time, like a guy from Us Two talking about Assemble with Care and Monument Valley.

2020 Year in Review — Games

January 1, 2021
3 min read

Most of the year I was looking for a mindless escape in video games, so FIFA was my go-to most of the time, although there were some gems in between.

Mafia: Definitive Edition

This is my game of the year. I actually liked the first Mafia when it came out, so the feeling of nostalgia was strong. And developers made actually a great game even for the 2020. I played this game twice in a row to get Platinum, which as I think back, becomes somewhat of a tradition — to get Platinum for one game a year (last year it was Spider-man).

I would recommend playing Mafia: Definitive Edition, even if you didn’t play the game before. It is good.

Mini Motorways

When Apple Arcade first came out this was the main game I played on my iPad. Sitting on a couch with Apple Pencil in hand it is just perfect. You can try to strategise your way through the game, or you can almost mindlessly connect the roads, it is totally up to you.

Grindstone

Another one from the Apple Arcade, this one I played mostly on my iPhone. If it wasn’t on the service it would have been one of those pay-to-play games, but here it’s great. Beautiful, fun and sometimes very challenging, but without constant nagging to buy coins.

Assemble With Care

The last game I enjoyed from the Apple Arcade. From the developers of Monument Valley, it is more of a visual story than a game. It is fun, delightful and relaxing. Looks great on a bigger screen of 12.9” iPad Pro.

The Witcher 3

This one didn’t come out this year, obviously, but when it did I didn’t have a PlayStation, so here we are.

I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it is too long. For the first half, I would go through every possible side-quest and wanted to finish everything, until I got a known bug when I couldn’t finish one mission because I went some place before the mission was available. After that, I just went through the story.

Also, it was fun to play it in original language, especially because I’m trying not to forget Polish.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This is an honourable mention because I actually don’t like the game in the end, but it helped me during some hard times and was perfect for that. The Game doesn’t have much of a story, sure there is a main line, but mostly you wander around trying to find out what to do next. I realised that I need a story, even in the open-world game. But when I had a nervous breakdown, I would take my Nintendo Switch to the balcony and play The Legend of Zelda and my mind would relax, for which I’m thankful.

2020 Year In Review — Apps

January 1, 2021
4 min read

Timery

Just when the pandemic hit, I’ve decided to try out time tracking as a concept. And now I recommend everyone to do it.

Just to be clear — I hate when work tracks how much time you spend working. If there is need for this, I think there are some deeper problems and tracking your employees won’t help. But time tracking for me was eye-opening. There were tasks I thought took a lot of time when in reality those were very minor and the opposite — some tasks that I thought I don’t spend a lot of time on, were taking a considerable amount of time.

Based on this information I made changes in my work. Moving some tasks around in the day, delegating others etc.

For time tracking I’ve used Toggl, which is free for individual use, but its iOS app is not good. That is why I’m using Timery. I’ve tried the free version and after about a week I paid for a yearly subscription, as I think it is very much worth it. The app is simple and has great widgets for iOS 14.

Halide Mark II

This year Halide published an amazing update to their app, which bring some education and also subscriptions. Although as someone who paid for the app before I got a free year, I still signed up for the subscription right away just to support the developers of my favourite iPhone photography app.

It is simple, yet powerful and with Apple ProRAW support and the addition of Instant RAW (which develops your RAW shots right inside the app) it is mandatory for iPhone photo enthusiasts.

I’ve set up Shortcut that opens Halide and now when I tap back of the iPhone 3 times it opens the app. Very helpful, especially during winter with gloves on.

Tot

The app actually came out in 2020 and at first I thought it was a bit crazy to buy it for €20. But after some consideration I decided to try it out (European laws on refunds help a lot in those kinds of situations) and I loved it. So much so, that since day one it is in my iPhone dock.

It is perfect for small things to write down. Thoughts, ideas. It delivered on a promise of Drafts, which I tried to use a couple of times because of a “where the text starts” tag line, but it was too geeky and overpowered for me.

Ulysses

This is where I type all the posts for my blog. Before I was all over the place, but now my blog starts here, in Ulysses. I even learned Markdown, so that I can use it to the fullest and actually enjoy it.

I like themes, integration with WordPress and new feature of text revision, which shows the most common stylistic mistakes. What I don’t like is the new update, which cut up the perfectly usable sidebar into 4 tabs which don’t occupy the whole height of the screen.

Reeder 5

I was using the previous version of this RSS reader or even the one before and didn’t think much about the update, but after reading MacStories review, decided to give it a try. It is every bit as beautiful as they describe. This app just feels nice. It is a pure pleasure — animations, speed, typography. It is simple to use.

I decided to try out the read-it-later service inside the app and so far, I like it. Of course Pocket was better in some places (I think just because of the experience), but I never liked the app itself. With Reeder 5, those things are not dealbreakers and the app is amazing.

2020 Year In Review — Devices

January 1, 2021
4 min read

iPhone 12 Pro Max

This is my favourite device bought this year. It is beautiful, functional and enjoyable. I don’t know what else I could want from it.

With the addition of Apple ProRAW in recent iOS update, I fell in love in photo capabilities of this phone.

As I’ve mentioned before — I just love looking at the device itself. I still think I made a right choice going with the gold one. The iPhone 4, iPad Pro design with the significant weight of the 12 Pro Max makes it expensive looking (even more than it actually is).

It’s impossible to use it in one hand. Reaching for an opposite icon in the dock is a nightmare and I started using compact keyboard mode because sometimes I can’t even erase something I typed, the button is so far away.

I still don’t have any MagSafe accessories besides the leather case, and I’m only tempted by two — some kind of car mount (I will probably wait for the greater availability of the Belkin one) and I’m leaning towards buying the MagSafe wallet. I’ve had very minimal wallet for a long time and I think I can manage easily with just three cards.

AirPods Pro

Those are very helpful during the pandemic. Just turning on noise-cancellation helps to concentrate a lot. Even now, with my wife siting right next to me, I have it turned on while typing this article and I don’t hear anything. They are that good.

The one problem you can have is comfort, but if you like in-ear headphones, you will love AirPods Pro.

Philips Avent 4-in-1 Healthy Baby Food Maker

This one a bit unconventional, but it helped us a lot this year. Our daughter is turning 1 year old and without this food maker we would be lost. We even took it on our trip we had, it is so good.

You just place all the ingredients and in 10-25 minutes they are ready, prepared on steam, so perfectly healthy for a toddler. After that, you can blend the food, and you are good to go.

As a father, I can definitely say it allowed to leave the baby with me a lot easier, so my wife could get something done by herself.

LG C9

Just as pandemic hit hard in March (on a second day of a lockdown) I’ve ordered a new TV. I long tried to convince my wife to buy an LG OLED, but she didn’t think it was worth so much money. But that day I just pulled the plug.

The first time we watched some 4K content on Netflix she said — “okay, now I understand” and ever since, we’ve been recommending it to everyone who asks (or even if they don’t).

The picture is amazing, sound is actually good, and I love WebOS, because of its simplicity. Sometimes I even wish there would be more of an interface to play around, but it just doesn’t get in the way. The main focus is content. All the major apps are there, so I didn’t connect any box to it, just the PlayStation.

I also love the remote. At first, I thought the cursor would be uncomfortable to use, but it is so good, I think Apple should have gone this route instead of a touchpad on the Apple TV remote.

Nintendo Switch

It isn’t used a lot right now, but it was essential for me this year. When I had a nervous breakdown I decided to treat myself with something nice, I thought I wanted for a long time. I decided to buy the Nintendo Switch.

The first game I bought was of course Zelda. In the end — I don’t actually like the game. It’s just too open for me, I like when there is more guidance, even in the open-world game. But for about two weeks, I would take my Switch, go to the balcony and play some Zelda. It is so non-violent, beautiful and calm, I was considering it as a meditation. I’m very grateful for that time, but I won’t be finishing the game.

Why Great Design Is Timeless — Om Malik

December 26, 2020
1 min read

If there are two things I like in the world, those definitely would be iPhone and design of Porsche 911.

More than a decade ago, Apple introduced the iPhone 4, with its new boxy rectangular design. It was the first time we got to experience the Retina display. Fast-forward to today, and the new iPhone 12 is slowly making its way into the hands of iPhone buyers. To the joy of many, it has the same design language as the iPhone 4.

iPhone 4 was my first iPhone. It was not a good device in a hindsight — the processor was too slow for the Retina display and in just a year and a half it would take a minute to open the app. But it was beautiful. I always considered it the best-looking iPhone. And this is one of the reasons I love my iPhone 12 Pro Max. Not even using it, I just like looking at it, enjoying its beauty as an object.

You can easily tell a Porsche from another carmaker, even when zipping past you over the speed limit.

AirPods Pro Review

December 25, 2020
4 min read

It’s a bit late to the party – when everyone is hyped up by the AirPods Max I bought AirPods Pro just a month ago.

I bought first AirPods right when they came out and didn’t have other headphones since. I’ve had to change them after two years because the battery was dying in less than 30 minutes, so I went with 2nd generation AirPods just around the time when AirPods Pro came out.

AirPods Pro didn’t tempt me because I always liked EarPods and AirPods shape better. They didn’t block outside noise, but were a bit bigger than standard ones, so it provided just a bit of separation from the outside world. They were the most comfortable headphones. I regularly forgot that they were in my ears, spending even the whole day with them.

I decided to get myself a birthday present and buy Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-cancelling headphones, as there was a nice sale at a retailer nearby, but when I got there, the last pair was already sold, I could only order online. While walking to the car I though a bit more about pros and cons of those headphones and realised — I don’t want over-ear ones, wearing glasses and spending a lot of time outside, Sony’s actually wouldn’t be very comfortable. A short drive later to the Apple reseller, AirPods Pro were in my hands.

They are just a tiny bit less comfortable for me than regular AirPods. It made me switch between medium and large size tips a lot, but ones are a bit small, while the others are too large. I’ve ordered memory foam tips in hope for them to add some comfort.

The noise-cancelling is very nice. Especially now, working from home. Sometimes I turn it on, without anything playing and it helps concentrate. While listening outside it allows using lower volume, which I think will be beneficial for hearing.

The transparency mode is delightful. It was the first time I tried something like that and I like it. It’s AR for your ears. With this mode turned on I can hear better than without headphones. Although some sounds are plainly painful — one day I was standing in the kitchen with the transparency mode turned on and my wife came in with vacuum cleaner blasting, I thought I would become deaf.

Spatial audio is very cool, first time I couldn’t believe the sound was coming out of the headphones, but it doesn’t work on a device it makes the most sense — Apple TV, so I don’t use it often.

I like the controls. For the first couple of days I was still tapping them, but now I think pinching is a big improvement. My fingers already remember how long I need to press to change modes, releasing it just before the sound plays, it gives a weird sense of satisfaction.

When buying 2nd generation AirPods I made a conscious decision not to buy wireless charging case and it was a right choice at that time, now I find myself using wireless charging with AirPods Pro constantly. I have a basic, low-power charger at my desk, as my previous iPhone couldn’t survive the whole day on one charge, but now I use it exclusively with AirPods Pro, throwing them once in a while on it and I don’t think about battery management at all.

The AirPods Pro are much harder to recommend than AirPods. They are more expensive, they could be less comfortable and I think many like the style of AirPods. But if they fit you, they sound great for their small size. And you have noise-cancelling headphones that fit in the change pocket of your jeans. I love mine.