All the Things We Loved This Month, and Also the Galaxy Fold
Photograph: Kelia Anne MacCluskey07The Pagan Mechanic Rides Again: Neil Young’s Adventures on the Hi-Res Frontier
For Neil Young, audio fidelity is more than just a bitrate, it’s a form of art and truth. The convenience of streaming music has come with a sacrifice in audio quality. As far as Neil Young is concerned, low quality music might as well signal the death of the industry as a whole. But Young has long possessed a mystic attention to technical detail. With a new Crazy Horse album, a new book, and his very own high-resolution streaming platform, the 73-year-old rock legend has set himself the modest goals of reuniting his beloved band, reinventing the wheel, and rescuing music for all humanity.
Photograph: Toby Dan08The Big Lure of Tiny Keyboards
Devotees of mechanical keyboards are often known for their benevolent obsession with building custom peripherals. In pursuit of efficiency and minimalism, many hobbyists aim to build their boards to be as small as possible. The way to do that? Well, remove most of the keys, of course. This creates some obvious logistical problems if you want to type, say, numbers or use any function keys. (You have to program multi-key commands to access hidden “layers” where the lesser-used keys live.) For mini keyboard enthusiasts, that challenge is all part of the appeal. If you want to be a part of this small group of dedicated hobbyists, all you have to do is be able to fit your hands on a compact surface and remember how to access the invisible layer where you hid most of your buttons.
Photograph: Henn Photography/Getty Images13Tired of Jet Lag? This App Will Help Reset Your Clock
A few years ago, some researchers tried to figure out the best way to solve the problem of jet lag. It turns out, you can use natural light to reset your circadian rhythm, seeking light when it's time to be awake, and avoiding light when you should be winding down. Now a company called Timeshifter is taking that knowledge and providing it to frequent flyers in an app, creating personalized schedules for travelers who are crossing multiple time zones. Follow the advice in the app, and maybe sleep mostly normally on your next long trip.
