Black tees and Film cameras
Plus, a DIY computer
There have been so many cool things happening lately, but the two that I'm most excited about are sports-related so if you don't care, I apologize. But the Knicks are spanking everyone in the playoffs and Arsenal is back in the Champions League finals for the first time since 2006! It's a good time to be a sportsball fan.
in this issue:
👕 Casio GXFAB
📷 Minolta TC-1
💻 Framework Laptop 13 Pro
👕 Casio GXFAB
One thing a lot of people might not know about me is that I'm obsessed with t-shirts. If I could wear a nice tee every day I would. The problem is that I also spill food on myself ALL THE TIME. To the point that I basically need to keep a tide pen nearby at all times. So I never spend too much on nice t-shirts because I know I'm just going to destroy them. Still, that doesn't stop me from drooling over them every time a new one comes out. Like this GXFAB black tee from Casio. Yes, that Casio.
A few months ago, I wrote about a Sauna watch that Casio’s experimental labs division developed. After entering the lottery and answering a survey, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to buy that watch here in the States (which I obviously did). That same lab released the GXFAB black tee, which they say is the G-Shock of T-shirts. Not only is the boxy look my preferred style, but it’s made with a 20-count durable double yarn. I have literally no idea what that means, but what I do know is that they tested it by soaking it in undiluted chlorine bleach, and it still came out other pure black. They also exposed it to the equivalent of 10 years of sunlight, and it barely faded. I want it. But these experimental releases are always limited, and unfortunately, I didn’t win the lottery this time around, so I’ll have to admire it from afar.
📷 Minolta TC-1
Maybe it's the nice weather here in NYC, or maybe it's being surrounded by people who love film photography every day, but for whatever reason, I've fallen back in love with film recently. Taking pictures has become so cheap and film is the complete opposite of that. People say they value film photography because it forces you to slow down, but I value film because it's valuable. It's literally expensive as fuck. You're not going to take a crappy picture on film because you know clicking that shutter is going to cost you a few bucks. In practice, this means that every time I take a picture, I genuinely believe it's going to be a banger (I'm mostly wrong). Otherwise, I might as well light a dollar on fire. Lately, the camera I've been leaning on the most is the Minolta TC-1.
I'm not going to pretend I know the history of Minolta or what the hell TC-1 even stands for. I'm sure I knew at some point when I was researching it, but it isn't important to me now. What is important is how easy this camera is to carry around and the satisfaction of finally getting your film developed and seeing the bangers you've been waiting for IRL. It's the smallest film camera I own and its titanium construction means I don't need to baby it. In fact, it's already kind of falling apart in places. The battery compartment door is held in place by gaffer's tape and so is the switch to pop open the film compartment. But as long as it still turns on, it's going to have a place in my pockets.
💻 Framework Laptop 13 Pro
If you don't know Framework, it's a company that is trying to make the last laptop you ever need to buy. The idea is that you buy it once and upgrade it with new parts as time goes on. So everything about the computer is upgradeable. The screen, the battery, even the ports. All swappable. It's awesome. I want Framework to win. I genuinely believe this is how technology should be. The problem is that it's a pricey upfront investment and everyone in my life tells me it isn't worth the trouble right now. The company recently released the Laptop 13 Pro, and I'm sooooo tempted. Not only does it look cool, but they're saying it was built as a Linux-first machine which I love since I use Omarchy on my personal laptop.
Pricing out the spec I would get, it’s almost $2,000 which is just a little too steep for what you get. I could get three MacBooks Neo for that price. But in a few years when that MacBook Neo dies, that’s it. Time to get another computer. That’s the beauty of the Laptop 13 Pro. In a few years, when it starts slowing down or needs more RAM I could spend a few hundred to upgrade instead of a few thousand. I know I should vote with my dollars and buy the damn thing, but why does it have to be so many dollars 😭.
