Week In Review 2026-06-27
This update covers Sunday 06-21-26 through Saturday 06-27-26 (icon Glossary, if needed).
LIFE
- 🈁 Making decisions and sticking to them (which is always the harder part).
- 📕 I committed to using one software for photo editing, and gave up on using Caira.
- 📜 Lots of coffeeshop comparisons, including the one closest to my erstwhile office.
- ❤️🩹 Appointments have been made for a vascular health inspection in mid-July, as I am still concerned about the varicose veins in my lower legs.
EXPLORE
- 🎨 My third attempt with Caira fulfilled the three-sip rule, and as mentioned in the most recent Randoming, I am moving on. Caira is still really slow to power on and connect to my iPhone. Its photos are not that different from what my iPhone already takes, in spite of the interchangeable lenses and larger M43 sensor. Again, the concept is neat, but the reality is far different and not worth it for me (but perhaps someone else can see a benefit?). In better camera news, the Canon Rebel XSi is in better shape than I had thought, though its exterior needs a serious cleaning.
- 🔬 Updated to the second Developer Beta of iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate. The Aphera app has now become my go-to editor for RAW photos, meaning the very needy ON1 Photo RAW app is gone from my Mac, my iPhone, and most importantly, my inbox! Receiving several emails per week from ON1 grew tiresome in a hurry, and was a huge factor in my search for a replacement product. Even Adobe wasn't as thirsty for attention back when I used Lightroom, and it’s not like Adobe has ever been known for its subtlety with communication.
- 🪟 The excessive humidity cut my photography on Sunday 06-21 short, but it was still long enough to evaluate Caira, as mentioned earlier. I went to a lot of coffee shops this week: Shortwave on Tuesday 06-23 (pro: it’s very close to my office; con: service is intermittent and their pourovers are so-so); Comet Coffee on Wednesday 06-24 (pro: great coffee selection and hours; con: small kitchen, weak wi-fi, and flaky seating arrangements mean some days are great there, others aren’t); and Living Room on Thursday 06-25 (pro: great kitchen and coffee; con: personally, their A/C can be very aggressive at spots, though I’ll probably think otherwise next week during the predicted heat wave). I’ll likely visit one more on Saturday 06-27 while L. works yet another weekend.
MEDIA
- 📰 American State Nationals: The newest group of sovereign citizens, Police1. This is likely the only time I will ever link to an LEO blog, but despite the source, it is an interesting read on “sovereign citizens,” a group L. deals with at her job with increasing frequency. I suspect “sovereign citizens” and “First Amendment auditors” would clash if they ever were to meet.
- 📰 Seville, the ‘frying pan of Europe’, holds the secrets to managing the blistering summer heat, Monocle. What Happens to an Economy When It’s Too Hot to Work?, Bloomberg. Two articles that are timely, given the European heat wave and the pending one in the US. The solutions on display in Seville won’t work in India (the source of the Bloomberg article), given the totally different nature of heat in both locations. For me, the Monocle article is the better read, as it looks at how Seville lives versus Bloomberg’s obvious focus on the Indian economy.
- 🎬 Episode 17: Stellantis Constructs A Footgun To Surpass Metal Gear, Tran Girlismo. A big debate over the Ferrari Luce, the brand’s first EV that looks like a bar of soap (I’m on Team Victoria here), along with a deep dive into RAM going headfirst into its Pick-Me Era so that Senpai MAGA Chud notices its lineup and ads. I've long felt this way about RAM and its stereotypical audience, so what Victoria and Jordan discuss is more confirmation bias to me than anything else.
- 🎬 In the Line of Duty 2: The Super Cops, RiffTrax. Hoo boy. Want to see a young Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock (making her film debut) sport some awesome 80s haircuts and fashions, all while delivering some truly astounding roundhouse kicks and stunts? Want to wax nostalgic about the Hong Kong that was, circa 1987? Want to see action right up to the final seconds of the film? Then strap in and enjoy!
- 🎬 Errant Space Podcast 135: Solos From Tour, Errant Space. A composer and musician who often features similarly-minded ambient and experimental musicians on his podcast. For this episode, Errant Space highlights solos from his recent tour. It’s not specifically background music, nor is it specifically ambient and formless. There’s a lot going on here, whether you are listening actively or passively.
WORK
- 🏥 Overall, a pretty “normal” week at work. I got a wonderful compliment from my boss in our 1-on-1 meeting on Thursday 06-25, and I now have newer monitors at home, both of which now max out at 100 Hz for refresh rates. The difference, especially for my work screen, is startling.
OTHER
- 🗣️ This section left intentionally blank.
NEXT
- 🔮 Still working on a second Les Ketchup post, which will also incorporate my relatively short thoughts about the (temporary?) end of Doctor Who.
PICTURE
- 📸 During my Chicago trip earlier in June, I reverted back to an old pattern of taking side streets in the city when interstate traffic was at a standstill. Sometimes this method works, and other times it’s actually slower than staying on the highway. This particular trip was something of a wash, but it allowed me to gawk at a billboard at 57th and Western for a long-departed car dealership that sold even longer-departed brands. You may still encounter old signage for dealers selling Plymouths, but when was the last time you saw signage for an Imperial? Based on the fonts used in the sign, it likely dates from the mid-late 1960s. You can find better photos of the dealership sign online, but hey, this is my photo!
