Tech update 2025
Oh right, I have a blog. I guess I will describe how my tech has changed since November. Before Christmas, I had gifted myself a ThinkPad T480. The only upgrade I've given it so far is a 72Wh 61++ battery. For context, my previous laptop was an HP Omen 16. Allow me to give a short review.
THINKPAD T480
Now this is my first ThinkPad, so I'm not going to compare it to other ThinkPad models. I had heard good things about older ThinkPad keyboards, but I'm acquainted with the chicklet style keyboard used on the T480, so it's fine to me and frankly better than any other keyboard I've used. The keyboard layout is excellent. The PgUp and PgDn keys side-by-side to the UP arrow key is much appreciated. On my HP laptop, PG UP and PG DN are below the PRT SC key. They're located in that mess of... actually side tangent here.
TANGENT: MY GODAWFUL HP OMEN KEYBOARD
On my HP laptop, PG UP and PG DN are located in that messy group of keys in the top right of the keyboard with its friends HOME, END, INSERT, and uhh... PAUSE? Excuse my Samoyed-Lithuanian dialect of Guarani with classical Arabic inflections but what the FUCK is this? My keyboard already has the media keys in the function keys row. It's triple redudant when you realize you can use the media keys, whatever keybind is used for pause in the current application, or one mouse click. The pause/break key has a long history, but it should BE history and not be on my keyboard.
In the outcast group above the INSERT key is the OMEN Gaming Hub key which opens the bloatware app that comes on my "gaming laptop." I could make a subtangent about how I hate gamer-forward marketing, but I digress. This is reminiscent of the Microsoft Copilot key. Nobody needs a button for something that could be a desktop shortcut. But the cardinal sin of the outcast key group is including the damn CALCULATOR button. It opens up MS Calculator. That's it. To all the unwashed gamers who triangulate strongholds in Minecraft, are you fucking happy now?
CONT: THINKPAD 480
Anyways, one thing that goes underappreciated is the dedicated left-click and right-click buttons located atop the touchpad. I don't usually use the middle button to scroll because I use Vim-like controls (J to scroll down, K to go up) in any application I can. I will discuss this in the web browser section later. The only thing I kind of miss is the menu button which was replaced by the PrtSc button, but to be honest I wasn't using it that much anyways. I try to stay as keyboard-only as possible, and my ThinkPad really helps with that. This is the one case where it goes against that goal, but I suppose I can always press Shift-F10 anyways.
My favorite part of my new ThinkPad is being able to hotswap batteries. My 72wh battery is huge and sticks out of my laptop, elevating it to an angle. I've had good battery life so far, but I suspect it's because my use case isn't very resource intensive anyways. My next favorite is the TrackPoint in the middle of the keyboard. It's been useful for anything where I've otherwise had to switch to my mouse. I rarely use my mouse these days, so I've admittedly used the TrackPoint sparsely.
The ThinkPad really lives up to being a business laptop. It just werks. I currently have Windows 10 on it. When Microsoft ends support for Windows 10, I'm probably going to have to boot Debian on it. I really only use my ThinkPad for writing and browsing. Now onto the other new hardware that I got since November.
Philips SHP6000 wired headphones review
First I have to explain: why wired? This all goes back to my experience with Bluetooth headphones. I'd have to sit down, hold a button, and wait for my headphones to pair. I much prefer plugging and listening, especially because I switch between devices. And yes my phone does have a 3.5mm headphone jack, so I can listen to calls privately. I didn't purchase these headphones expecting them to be these amazing audiophile headphones. I got what I expected: a decent set of headphones with a sound profile that's nothing fancy.
Unlike the other over-ear headphones I've used, they don't make you look stupid. They're good-looking headphones, and they look good on my head too. I don't really anything else to say about my headphones. They just werk.