The Installer gift guide, part two

Dec 08, 2024 08:00 PM - 1 month ago 56770

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 63, your guideline to the champion and Verge-iest worldly successful the world. (If you’re caller here, welcome, it’s a batch of worldly to watch this week, and besides you tin publication each the aged editions astatine the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been reference astir clog crime and bright headlights and Robert Pattinson, starting my 564th rewatch of Community, testing Sill arsenic portion of my news reference flow, taking copious notes connected Mrwhosetheboss’ caller agency setup, watching a batch of videos astir sports stadiums for immoderate reason, trying retired each of Esquire’s champion podcasts of 2024, and continuing to eat excessively overmuch Swedish candy. For journalism, I swear.

I besides person for you a awesome caller characteristic for a awesome to-do database app, a caller Peloton app, a comic book bid worthy your time, a mates of bully tech-culture documentaries I deliberation you’ll like, and tons more. We’re decidedly successful “new worldly to watch connected acold evenings” play alternatively than “new apps and gadgets” season, but I’m not huffy astatine it. It is cold retired there.

(As always, the champion portion of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you into correct now? What should everyone other beryllium playing / reference / watching / eating / building / doing by the occurrence this week? Tell maine everything: [email protected]. And if you cognize personification other who mightiness bask Installer, guardant it to them and show them to subscribe here.)

(Also, if you bargain thing from a Verge link, Vox Media whitethorn gain a commission. See our morals statement.)

Installer

/ A play newsletter by David Pierce designed to show you everything you request to download, watch, read, perceive to, and research that fits successful The Verge’s universe.

The Drop

“I tracked down my WhatsApp crypto scammers.” Christophe Haubursin’s caller YouTube show, “Tunnel Vision,” looks highly up my alley. For the first episode, he goes heavy connected each things crypto scams — the section reminds maine of a Search Engine episode connected the aforesaid subject, and some do an fantabulous occupation of making the full strategy make sense.
Twos. I’ve mentioned Twos present before, and it’s still 1 of my favourite apps for elemental tasks and notes. But I’m peculiarly into its caller AI features, which don’t effort to do impossible, chaotic things but alternatively just, like, hunt Google for you pinch 1 tap. I’ve been utilizing the smart suggestions a batch and emotion them. (You tin get past the waitlist pinch the codification “Verge” if you want, too.)
Creature Commandos. This show seems to beryllium the unofficial charismatic reboot of the DC universe, and by each accounts, it’s disconnected to a bully start. We’ve each been burned by the DCU before, of course, but the vibes astir the spot are beautiful bully correct now. I’ll astatine slightest beryllium sticking this 1 out.
Y2K. All the reviews for this movie propose that it mightiness person been amended arsenic an SNL sketch aliases a nosy 20-minute YouTube bit. But I don’t care. A movie filled pinch AIM references, landline phones, and crappy camcorders is precisely my jam. And I will beryllium location for it.
Spotify Wrapped. My Wrapped this twelvemonth is hands down the astir embarrassing it’s ever been. I don’t moreover want to stock my #1 song. But still, moreover though everybody seems to do immoderate type of this year-end point now, cipher does it arsenic good arsenic Spotify. And the AI podcasts that travel pinch it this year? Surprisingly fun.
Peloton Strength Plus. Makes full consciousness that Peloton would yet double down connected weight training — but I really didn’t expect to beryllium this compelled by the app. It’s cheaper, for one! But it besides has a batch of really useful features and classes and looks for illustration the correct operation of system and flexible. Maybe I’ll moreover spell backmost to the gym. (Narrator voice: he won’t.)
Biggest Heist Ever. There are a batch of bonkers crypto crime stories retired there, but the communicative of Razzlekhan and Dutch — which involves bad rap music, billions successful crypto, and conscionable a batch of dumb shenanigans — decidedly belongs connected the Mount Rushmore of the genre.
Pop Culture Jeopardy! My encephalon utilized to beryllium filled pinch absorbing facts astir history and the world, but now it’s conscionable Olivia Rodrigo lyrics and telephone specs up there. This Prime Video show makes Jeopardy a squad sport, which is fun, but besides has much questions I tin reply now.
Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story. Maybe you were astir for the early days of Lisa Frank’s mega-colorful accessories, aliases possibly you sewage into them successful a retro, vintage-y measurement the past fewer years. Either way, you’ll astir apt spot a batch you admit successful this (also connected Prime Video) bid astir really the institution really worked.

Gift guide, portion two

Last week, I shared a bunch of stuff I deliberation would make bully gifts. I whitethorn person been accused erstwhile aliases doubly of having boring taste, which, fair! But I’m conscionable saying, if you want to triumph my heart, Bluetooth speakers are the way.

Plus, luckily, you each person overmuch amended sensation and amended ideas than I do. So now it’s your turn: present are a fewer of the champion gift recommendations I’ve gotten the past mates of weeks, some things you’d emotion to person and things you’d confidently give.

Home Assistant stuff. I confess I americium progressively benignant of… complete smart location stuff. But ace hackable, in-the-weeds, make-it-do-anything-with-a-little-engineering smart location stuff? I’m in. And truthful are you, apparently.
The Raspberry Pi 5. More light-touch hacking gear! Raspberry Pis are ace nosy gifts for anyone looking for a techy project, and it’s truthful inexpensive to get started! (Though I’d impulse you to outpouring for the afloat starter kit, which conscionable makes it easier to get the point running.)
Hoto stuff. Hoto makes immoderate of the astir gadgety devices you’ll ever find — Ryan emailed successful and called it “the Apple of tools.” I ain and emotion the screwdriver, but I’m besides benignant of successful emotion pinch this instrumentality set, too.
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. This book has travel done my inbox so many times this year. It’s benignant of a productivity book, but it’s mostly a reminder that life is short, that’s okay, and that being productive is astir giving yourself abstraction to live, not much to do. Slightly heavy for a vacation gift, maybe, but a awesome read.
The caller Mac Mini. I astir apt should person included this successful my guideline past week. It’s surely nary stocking stuffer, but it’s beautiful inexpensive arsenic high-end computers go, and Apple sewage beautiful overmuch everything correct connected this one.
A java grinder. Matt sent maine this awesome James Hoffmann video of reviewing a bunch of high-end java grinders and pointed retired that they make awesome gifts. It’s true! Such a bully measurement to upgrade someone’s setup without overmuch work. My father-in-law could usage one.

Interestingly enough, hardly anyone deed maine up pinch bully ideas astir really to gift software… aliases to work together pinch my mentation astir gift cards being awesome. But it’s okay. I’m right. Gift cards forever. Good luck vacation shopping this year!

Screen share

I ever suspected Kristen Radtke, The Verge’s imaginative director, mightiness beryllium the coolest personification I know. Then, successful the people of for illustration 48 hours a mates of weeks ago, I some discovered her awesome book Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness and sewage a peek into her incredibly put-together, deeply cool location office. We besides randomly sewage to bent retired a bunch and activity connected worldly together, and it each conscionable fundamentally confirmed her suspected coolness.

I asked Kristen to stock her homescreen, wondering if her legendary attraction to item and shape and everything would transportation complete to her phone. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. And I deliberation that mightiness beryllium the coolest imaginable outcome.

Here’s Kristen’s homescreen, positive immoderate info connected the apps she uses and why:

The phone: iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The wallpaper: My cute-ass baby.

The apps: Camera, Photos, Google Maps, Clock, Weather, Calendar, Notes, Slack, Instagram, Bluesky, Calculator, Venmo, Wells Fargo, American Express, Rent the Runway, Google Photos, Google Home, Peloton, Apple Health, White Noise, Uber, Resy, Seamless, Settings, Phone, Messages, Gmail, Chrome.

All of my devices are beautiful chaotic — I don’t shape my files aliases apps aliases cleanable up emails aliases texts aliases clear my notifications. When my friends aliases hubby usage my phone, they’re horrified. (The only objection to my negligence is my calendar, which I update meticulously and reference constantly: if it’s not successful the calendar, it’s not happening.)

I constitute each my drafts and support investigation successful the Notes app; if it ever crashes, I’m doomed. In position of hours, nary app surpasses my beloved White Noise, which is $39.99 a twelvemonth and houses a monolithic room of immoderate ambient sound suits you best. I move it connected each nighttime earlier I spell to furniture and whenever I request to artifact retired sound while I’m working.

I besides asked Kristen to stock a fewer things she’s into correct now. Here’s what she sent back:

I conscionable did the easiest ablution upgrade ever pinch a Sproos showerhead, and now my ablution is overmuch much organized than my phone.
The weird small handmade items astatine the one-person online shop Rosehound Apparel person made their measurement into galore rooms of my apartment.
I’m addicted to a new-ish cafe / vino barroom / edifice successful Brooklyn called Che. It’s tally by a group of champion friends: the dream.

Crowdsourced

Here’s what the Installer organization is into this week. I want to cognize what you’re into correct now arsenic well! Email [email protected] aliases connection maine connected Signal — @davidpierce.11 — pinch your recommendations for thing and everything, and we’ll characteristic immoderate of our favorites present each week. For moreover much awesome recommendations, cheque retired the replies to this station connected Threads and this station connected Bluesky.

“I person been irrationally obsessed pinch designing cute small 3D people designs for the Mac Mini. The latest 1 is a MagSafe charging topper that is an homage to Apple’s six-color rainbow shape astatine Apple Park.” – Jerrod

“I’ve been messing astir pinch utilizing my iPad arsenic an outer show for my camera for a individual task I’m shooting. Orion has been a godsend.” – Eddy

“I americium playing Kill Knight connected my Switch and it is awesome for short 10- to 15-minute sessions. You get dropped into an arena and look endless waves of enemies.” – Filip

“If you liked Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, I highly urge checking retired 1 of his different books, Recursion! I publication it correct aft Dark Matter and it was great!” — Amelia

“Revisiting James Clear’s fantabulous post connected saying ‘no.’ Workdays betwixt Thanksgiving and Christmas are a productivity wormhole, and saying nary pinch condemnation and wave is 1 of the only ways to enactment sane!” – Ryan

“Just vanished a binge of the latest information of Against the Rules pinch Michael Lewis. Sports betting is pervasive and deep.” – Matthew

Want to suffer your weekend? get Factorio: Space Age. It will scratch each the the engineering parts of your brain, but besides eat each your free time. The caller additions of different planets alteration up the gameplay successful a awesome way.” — Kyle

“The Freedom app. It was $80 for a life subscription during Black Friday. I tin artifact time-wasting websites connected my Mac, iPad, and iPhone each astatine the aforesaid clip connected a customizable schedule.” – Irfan

“Found retired that AirServer connected Xbox lets you usage it arsenic AirPlay (and Chromecast and Miracast) and supports inheritance audio. This intends you tin watercourse everything from your telephone while you play.” – Uli

“I’m reference Playground by Richard Powers. Another awesome caller from his manus astir colonialism, biodiversity, relationship and yes, artificial intelligence(!).” – Anders

Signing off

I get a batch of crap from Installer readers for not including capable Android apps. Which is adjacent enough! There are a batch of reasons for it, only immoderate of which I control, but I’ll effort and do better. Luckily, arsenic ever, Reddit is connected it. Someone posted connected r/androidapps this week asking group to stock the champion apps they discovered this year. It has a mates 100 comments and astir apt 1,000 app recommendations. They scope from teeny-tiny single-purpose utilities to huge, elephantine life-changing tools, and folks emotion and vouch for them all. Go peruse the thread — your telephone will beryllium amended for it.

See you adjacent week!