In years past I’ve curated various year-end gift guides. This year I wanted to do something different. Kosläpp is the Swedish tradition of «cow release» signifying the time of year that cows are released into pasture after being kept indoors all winter.

The transitional earthiness of this is a rich metaphor. We are now (at least in the Pacific Northwest) in a sort of transition to warmer, sunnier weather. To coincide with this I wanted to recommend some tasteful objects that I’ve come across in my recent sojourning. Each one of these items is designed with care, and built to last. I hope you find many beautiful and rich adventures in 2026 (and beyond).

Mission Workshop D21

I’ve written about Mission Workshop previously (in an interview with founder Bart Kyzar). Much attention has been given to their range of high-end backpacks and accessories for urban and outdoor exploration. But not enough attention has been given their clothing line. They apply the same understated performance to premium garments and outerwear with clean lines and ridiculous performance in any environment.

The D21 is the quintessential winter coat. The recycled down provides warmth and the sustainable DWR Pertex shell will keep rain and moisture at bay.

Bellroy’s Laneway Collection

There are so many brands doing fascinating things with urban carry, but none at the forefront of innovation more than Bellroy. Their laneway collection features a luxe fabric with a beautiful matte sheen. Whether it is their 12L crescent bag and belt bag, or their new sunglasses case and daily pouch the entire collection has rich, sophisticated colors and is perfect for a day out exploring the city.

Fjällräven Kånken No. 2 Black

Made of adaptable, quick-drying Greenland wax this canvas bag is perhaps the most iconic version of the most iconic backpack from this most iconic Swedish company known for revolutionizing the way children carry their gear. Compact, durable, and understated.

The iA Notebook

I’ve tried and used lots of beautiful notebooks, but this beautiful crafted piece of art from iA takes the cake. The subtle barely-show-through lines disappear as you write, and every aspect of this notebook is crafted with the utmost quality and care.

Blackwing

The «resurrection» of the iconic Blacking 602 (incense cedar, coats of lacquer, iconic ferrule) is a modern success story. Blending high craft with an analog culture bent toward the sensory craft of writing, Blackwing has emerged with beautiful modern tools that elevate the classic form of writing. I recommend starting with 602, peruse their custom Editions, and try their metal sharpener.

over engineered TRAY 01

ov_e makes beautifully machined desk products that are built to last a lifetime. Their aluminum Tray_01 is the perfect pen storage for your desk, credenza, or nightstand. Each one is beautifully crafted as a work of modern art.

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I hope you enjoyed this break from the standard interview content. I’ll be back soon with more interviews, deep-dives behind different products and brands, and continued attention to the work behind the work. Cheers!

sweden-based teenage engineering makes iconic products that have inspired a whole generation of designers, builders, and artists. in 2025 they continued to innovate at the intersection of technology, hardware, creativity, and music.

over the past couple years i’ve had the chance to connect with david möllerstedt, teenage engineering’s elusive co-founder and vp, and jonas åberg about how the company approaches engineering and building their iconic products.

david möllerstedt

there is lots of talk about the industrial design of the beautiful products that teenage engineering creates. each of the devices you make have this perfect balance of physical inputs, considered materials, and playful software that really push beyond the average consumer device. could you talk a bit about your approach to engineering and how that plays out in the conception of a new product?

we work in tandem between all disciplines at teenage engineering. the end result when things go well is not a compromise between different points of views but rather a selection of what’s most important for each aspect of a product. when that balance is not found the ideas that didn't make it all the way to a product may later resurface when the right tech, tools, design, etc. materialise. we’re prototyping a lot to test, touch, feel, look and listen to figure out what projects we should move forward with.

the op-1 field has one of the most playful interfaces i've seen. synth, drum, tape, and mixer and their subsequent menu systems all share the same small screen with colors used to cue users to what inputs to change to customize their view. i would love to hear about how you arrived at the decisions you did and how you partnered with designers to achieve such a layered interface that still feels simple to the user?

all of the op-1 development and design was done in house at teenage engineering by the original core team. in a way it’s a reaction to the much more serious hardware synth scene at the time. the op-1 was called a toy in a way that was not supposed to be positive, but as we knew it also had the depth and professional specs we took it as a compliment.

there was a long period of internal and external testing to refine all aspects of the op-1, i think that was very important, a large part of what we are providing is a creative workflow system.

switching gears a bit, I'm fascinated by the tp-7 and the mechanical aspect of the motorized tape reel and the way it interacts with recording, playback, etc. what were the challenges in bringing to life mechanical drives, software, and the computerized pieces to make everything work?

we are interested in motors at teenage engineering from many aspects. it’s tactile, and it can make things move. there is a lot of computer control involved and the behaviours can be modified in many interesting ways.

the tp-7 captures all of these aspects. we used the combined experience from previous product with similar technology.

i think the way you can touch and physically interact with the audio really makes the tp-7 stand out.

designers will often pull inspiration from other peers, historical design examples, or inspiration from art and the natural world? where do you pull inspiration from as an engineer? can you give some examples of products or systems that you've pulled inspiration from as you build your products?

the op-1 is a perfect example of a product that borrows heavily from history—taking the best parts of decades of recording and music production tools. the way the early four track porta studios always created the most musical demos, how the 80s casio synths stood out and what hands-on controls do for the speed of creativity. having experienced all of this and then getting the possibility to combine it into a new and portable creation was fantastic. it was also really hard work.

i would love to close with asking what your favorite teenage engineering product is. what about it makes it enjoyable to use and keep coming back to?

the teenage engineering product i use every day is the ob-4. it has changed the way i listen to music in a way i did not expect. to have good sound always available, to be able to be in control of time and rewind the fm radio is something i did not know i needed but now i can't do without it.

the one product i’m most excited about now in coming out later this year. i feel a strong spiritual connection to it even if i have not spent much time on the direct development. very much looking forward to how it will be received and what creations it will contribute to.

editor’s note: david was referring here to the yet-to-be-released op-xy

jonas åberg

the op-xy has such a unique combination of aesthetics, functionality, taste, and engineering. what drove the decision to build such a unique product?

conceptually the op-xy is the perfect mirror image of the op-1 in looks and function at teenage engineering. we want to create the best possible creative tools for the musician interested in sequencing and the op-xy is the prime expression of that.

you packed so many unique hardware connections and software into a portable music studio. What were the challenges you faced along the path of creating the op-xy?

the primary challenge was physically fitting all of the buttons, leds, and i/o on device while still having a clean layout that is pleasing to the eye.

from an engineering perspective embedded code running inside is highly optimized—we like to push the limits of what hardware can do and maximize battery life. we think in terms of form factor and connectivity we found a very good balance.

really looking forward to seeing and hearing what people will create with the op-xy—both on the road and on stage.

i’ve spent the course of this year using the mc-15 microphone. some things i like:

• the sound profile is warm and full-bodied

• manual gain controls are satisfying to use

• usb-c and xlr phantom power provide options for connectivity

• battery charging enables taking the mic into the field to record (pairs nicely with tp-7 and op-1 field or op-xy (of course)

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Nestled inside a small alleyway in San Francisco's Mission district you'll find remnants (like a painted curb) of Mission Workshop's humble beginnings.

Founded in 2009 by Mark Falvai and Bart Kyzar, Mission Workshop exudes a kind of quiet, unassuming confidence—bringing their unique visions for carry, technical performance, and minimalist design to the outdoor recreation, cycling, and urban adventure audiences. They’ve lately been expanding with more heavy-duty tactical offerings from their LA-based development lab.

I had a chance to chat with Bart Kyzar about how Mission Workshop got started and about how their approach to building a line of quality products over the long haul is unique in a world awash in disposable, turnkey products.

I'd love to hear you chat about the experience of how Mission Workshop got started? I know you both worked at Chrome on MTB products but would love to hear how you carved out a unique range of products focusing on urban carry, cycling, sports, etc. What was the journey like?

My business partner Mark Falvai and our friend Doug Hudson started Chrome in Colorado in the 1990s. Back then there weren’t any mountain bike lifestyle brands and no options other than lycra for riding apparel. They designed a pair of baggy technical riding shorts along with other apparel and bags and pretty much launched the mountain bike apparel category. It all grew from there into a broader product mix including travel and outdoor. After nine years in Colorado, we moved Chrome out to San Francisco and had some great years in the city before selling the company in 2007.

After a couple years on various projects, we decided to get the band back together and set up a shop in the Mission to work on some new ideas. Our first product, an expandable backpack called the Vandal, was a fun launch and is still in the lineup today. We focused primarily on bags for the first few releases and then jumped back into apparel as well and are evenly divided between the two at this point.

I know your workshop is based in SF's iconic Mission district. It's deeply embedded in your brand. How has the physical location of your shop shaped the products that you design and create? How much does the creativity of the environment around you affect the company you've built.

San Francisco, and the Mission in particular, has a grit and energy we’ve always loved. It’s a very creative place with great food and music and we’ve managed to cultivate a crew and community over the years that’s been pivotal to the brand. In the city you generally get around without a car and you can experience three of the four seasons on any given day so having good gear is vital.

Getting a little more technical, I would love to hear about how you developed the Arkiv® system. In terms of carry systems it's very unique and I'd love to hear how this came about and how it has shaped your various product lines.

Mark designs all our bags and came up with the Arkiv® modular system as quicker and simpler way to add pouches and accessories to a bag (or anything else really). The modularity allows you to customize your pack and adapt to the need at hand. It’s a really powerful system that we’ve really only scratched the surface of. Lots more to come!

In terms of the creative process, where do you pull inspiration from? Do you develop lots of prototypes in the process of creating a new product? How much collaboration and testing is involved in bringing something to life?

Ha, yes! Our workshop has been littered with the remains of very interesting designs that end up being a steppingstone to another, better product. We generate a lot of prototypes during this process. Mark works more in the world of scissors and sewing machines rather than software and starts sewing things up early in the process to see how they look and think about the construction. This process is collaborative but mainly through critique and feedback from the team on the early designs.

Across building Mission Workshop and it's product, what has surprised you most about the journey? What has you excited looking into the future?

It has definitely been a journey! I’d say the most surprising thing is how quickly time goes by. It feels like we just started Mission but this is our 16th year. The thing that keeps me the most excited is new product. Seeing a brand new pack as it comes off the sewing floor is as exhilarating now as it was when we first launched the Vandal back in 2009.

The Control backpack is a new entry in MW's lineup that feels like an extension of previous Arkiv packs and the Carryology Mars special project. Could you talk about the new pack and how you arrived at the innovative set of features and materials?

The Control Pack is our most updated version in the Arkiv line. It brings together increased functionality, organization and an advanced harness system that we developed when building packs for NASA. For the materials we’re using a three layer laminate from Challenge Sail Cloth for both the shell and liner. It’s a very strong and lightweight waterproof fabric.

Control introduces a new back harness system. What role does ergonomics play in the way you approach product design? How do you experiment with new systems like this that find their way into your new products?

With the new harness system we wanted to the pack to fully adjustable so that one pack would fit nearly any person. This was important for the NASA packs we were building because astronauts and scientists on the testing team ran the full range of height and build.

We utilized the integrated aluminum stays not only to support the pack load but also as a track for the harness to slide on when adjusting. Our experiments lie mainly with our designer and cofounder who is always innovating at our design space down in LA. I’d say there’s only about 10% of the really good stuff that ever makes it to market, there’s a lot of really interesting things going on over there and not enough time to bring them all to fruition.

The new Control EPX Pack is one of the best backpacks I’ve ever used. It evolves nearly everything from their classic Arkiv packs and adds improved materials, elegant and ergonomic suspension, and a whole new range of accessories designed to take you anywhere. The large main cavity also works with their previous accessories like the Capsule camera insert and their accessory pouches. The Axis VX Modular Waist Pack makes a perfect companion for the Control pack. Use it with the Arkiv system or as an essential companion on your next bike ride or adventure around the city.

The newly minted Meridian Backpack pairs the performant Challenge EPX fabric with a new clamshell opening “…crafted in our Los Angeles facility, home to R&D, design, and small-batch production for select U.S. military teams.” I haven’t tested it but it’s exciting to see MW expand into new territory with their continued focus on carry innovation.

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I love talking with companies and founders that care about craft. They are invested in the details. It’s a rare thing to find products that care both about the breadth (spectrum) of what they are creating, but also can consistently bring excellence to the smallest details.

I’m really excited to bring to you today a conversation about one my favorite brands: Aer. Founder Allen Choi has been working diligently on building a suite of products that exude an eye for incredible taste and careful attention to details: whether it is high-end fabrics like Ultra400X or the wheels and closures on a piece of luggage.

I hope you will enjoy this conversation and get lost in the details of Aer’s design and philosophy along the way.

1. Aer started in 2014 with daily carry and gym bags. Since then you've expanded into various travel bags. The Carry-On represents a further step forward into Travel carry. Can you talk about the journey of Aer over the past 10 years and what about luggage is exciting for you and your team?

Aer started 10 years ago with a gym/work bag for commuters in San Francisco. At the time, no one was offering anything thoughtful or well-made in this space so I wanted to see if I could do better. I created the original Duffel Pack and put it up on Kickstarter and we fortunately made our funding goal. Once our backers received their products, we got a lot of feedback and comments about how people loved to travel with the Duffel Pack, which is something I didn't expect. That was kind of my aha moment and since then, we've been building Aer into a travel-focused brand.

What's exciting about luggage is that it's a completely different category from bags and backpacks. A few years ago, we realized if we wanted to be a true luggage company, we had to offer suitcases to cover all the needs of today's travelers. Even I was using suitcases during my travels and often wondered how Aer would approach the category.

2. As a designer, how do you approach a new project like this? Obviously there is a whole industry of travel and luggage products. How do you resolve in a project like this to find visual profiles and approaches that are unique and yet still remain true to Aer's ethos?

We don't often break into new categories so for this project we worked with Box Clever in San Francisco to develop the product. I was previously a designer there so it was exciting to reconnect and work together on something so huge for us.

In terms of the industry, there's a ton of luggage products out there but we saw a gap in the market for premium, thoughtfully-designed suitcases at an affordable price point, which is similar to our approach with bags. We also felt like there wasn't a suitcase out there that spoke to our customer and brand so we wanted to create it.

3. Let's talk details. The Aer Carry-On is full of technical design details: Makrolon polycarbonate, Hinomoto miraclent bearings and wheels, CORDURA nylon interior, Fidlock closures, premium leather. Could you talk a bit about how you approach material selection and how those choices shape and inform the design process?

Yes! This is where we were able to put our spin on the category. At Aer, we believe in using the best materials and trims possible to ensure our products last a lifetime. This is why we work with the best suppliers in the industry and for our Carry-On, it was a no-brainer to apply the same approach. In a way, the materials and trims picked themselves as most of the choices mirrored those of our backpacks and bags.

For some components, we ran into some hiccups due to our material choices. An example of this is our pairing of Hinomoto's miraclent® wheels with a brake system. Hinomoto tolds us we were the first company in the world to combine their highest-end wheel with this particular brake system so there was a lot of trial and error in ensuring the brake system was functioning properly. In the end, everything worked out well and we're excited to offer this feature.

4. As a designer myself iteration is something that fascinates me. Could you expand on how you approach iteration and prototyping for a physical product like this? How many versions of the Carry-On did you work with and develop to get all the details right? How did you know when it was ready to release to the public?

A lot of the prototyping and development was happening concurrently at Aer, Box Clever, and our partners in Asia. We went through many rounds of samples and prototyping using 3D printers locally and creating working samples of the shells and components with our supplier in Taiwan. It was an interesting process because a lot of the development was happening independently of each other and everything came together toward the very end. This was due to the fact that suppliers and technicians were spread throughout the world with many of the components having different lead times. We knew it was ready to launch when the Carry-On felt and functioned with the fit and finish we expected it to have. It's an exciting and satisfying feeling when there are no more comments to be made and all the issues have been worked out.

5. What is the philosophy that undergirds Aer's approach to design? How does this manifest in the products you create?

The philosophy is simple in that we aim to balance form and function using the best-in-class materials and components. You'll see this clearly when you handle our products in person — the overall look and feel is clean and sleek but when you go deeper with the product, it's loaded with quality materials, features, and details that make up the Aer brand.

Something I've observed over the years is that while our philosophy remains the same, we've had to dial up the form or function knobs based on where we were as a brand or where the industry/culture was at the moment. Right now, I'd say we're cranking up all the dials to evolve the product and keep things fresh and exciting. 2025 is going to be a great year for us and our fans.

I’ve had a chance over the past year to experience Aer’s Carry On luggage and Ultra collection firsthand. The usefulness, consideration, and attention to details are phenomenal. Here are my top recommendations if you want a place to start:

• Carry-On Max: the best luggage I’ve used with smooth travel, locking wheels, and durable interior lining and trim.

• City Pack Pro 2 Ultra: a perfectly sized utility backpack that is perfect for travel, adventure, work, or play with some of the strongest materials available.

• Day Sling 3 Ultra: daily sling in an ideal size made of incredible Ultra400X fabric with fun zipper pulls.

• Travel Kit 2 Ultra: an essential dopp kit for travel that can easily double as a tech accessories case—what more can I say!

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Che-Wei Wang opened his talk at the the 2018 TNW Conference with the idea of “aesthetic value judgements”—instinctual split-second decisions we make when designing a building, crafting a product, or even selecting between nearly identical produce in a photograph. The theme of “intuitive judgements” is an ideal lens to examine the breadth and creativity that Che-Wei Wang and Taylor Levy (collectively CW&T) produce.

Their online store features strange art-house projects like Time Since Launch or Solid State Watch alongside machined daily carry essentials built to last a lifetime like Pen Type-C or Herring Blade. Each piece is infused with its own curiosity, creative storytelling, and painstaking focus around a set of recurring themes.

I had a chance to chat with them last year as they graciously agreed to answer some questions about their products and their practice. I hope that you will find this conversation as illuminating as I have.

Your site houses a diverse range of ideas, production, curiosities, and points of view. How do you go about generating new ideas for products and how do you know when an experiment has deep resonance with an audience?

Most of our ideas come out of an internal desire for something to exist. Oftentimes that thing already exists, but once in a while, we can’t find a perfect match, so we start by making one for ourselves. We end up making lots of things. For our house, for the office, tools, little bits of software, toys, games, clothes, etc. Once in a while it evolves to become a project that seems like a good enough idea that we think other people might appreciate it too.

That said… we don’t think too hard about how products might resonate with an audience. And not because we don’t want to, but more because we’re not equipped to. We don’t have the overhead to run user testing, focus groups or anything like that, so any kind of speculation we do about how things might resonate would be a stab in the dark. So instead, we’re deeply focused on designing for ourselves. An audience of two.

Since CW&T stands for Che-Wei and Taylor, can you talk a bit about how both of you collaborate together? How much back and forth is involved in a typical project? Are there skill sets that each of you have that compliment each other?

Our skill sets overlap quite a bit. We both write code, CAD, run machines, etc. but we come at problems from opposite angles. Taylor tends to think of things from a systems perspective. She likes to have a comprehensive understanding of the problem before diving in. CW likes to tackle things as if it’s a sprint and continue on that momentum until we run out of steam.

In practice, typically, CW sketches and prototypes a proof of concept over and over until we’re both happy with it. That can take anywhere from a few months to a few years. Once we move a project into production mode, Taylor will do the photography and package design while CW handles manufacturing.

Looking through your shop there are a couple themes that come to the surface for me. One is writing or capture (pens, notebooks) the other is time (Time Since Launch, clocks, counters, Solid State watch). What is it about these ideas that keeps drawing you back in?

I like how you use the word capture, I’ve never heard it in that context, and it really resonates. I wish it wasn’t this way, but putting creative ideas into the world isn’t accessible to everyone, and for reasons more serious than our products address. But I do feel that for some people, and I’m one of those people, having easy access to beloved creative tools can reduce that friction, and ease capture.

Timekeeping is an area that we’re explicitly focused on. Early on I think it provided us a framework, or space to solve within. But today we’re actively interested in providing people with opportunities to better understand or change their perspective on time. It’s central to the way we all live, yet we pay little attention to it and have no power over it. CW has written two master theses on timekeeping, and some of our work is a continuation of that research and thinking.

Honing in on your pen system a bit (Pen Type-A, Type-B, Type-C) I'd love to hear more about the process of developing these products. Did they begin as sequential explorations… a sort of evolution over time? If so, I'm curious what drove you down the path to keep exploring the same idea (a high-quality container for a Hi-Tec refill) in different forms?

Pen Type-A was our first product that really took off. We weren’t expecting such a big response to it. It started as an homage to the Hi-Tec-C. Taylor liked the pen so much we felt it needed a home that wasn’t disposable plastic, and would live up to that reverence. So we made 2 prototypes of Pen Type-A for ourselves.

Our friends suggested we try to launch the project on Kickstarter in 2011. On a whim, we tried raising $5,000 to make 50 pens. We ended up making 6,000 pens for 4,000 backers. That moment changed everything for us, and we weren’t at all prepared for the response.

Before delivering the 6,000 pens (it took two years to figure out manufacturing) we designed Pen Type-B. As much as we liked Pen Type-A as a desk pen, we immediately wanted something more pocketable and thought of it as the ultimate pen. And so we announced to everyone that Pen Type-B would be the last pen we’d ever design.

A few years later, we were approached by Shinola to design a pen for them. We designed a flat pen that’s super pocketable, relatively affordable and still used the great Hi-Tec-C cartridges. After a few back and forths, they ended up walking away from the project because it didn’t fit their cost goals. But we were really happy with the design, so we launched it on our own. Today, Pen Type-C is our go-to pen.

I love that story of how your pen products all built on each other. This brings me to one of your core Principles: "Make it last". In this you talk about over-engineering your products. What role does material selection play in your products and process? If someone were to pick up a CW&T product 100 years from now, what would you want them to take away from that experience?

I think we all want things to last. So we’re just trying to do what I think is the right thing to do. Every engineer knows exactly what they’re doing when they select an inferior material or thickness to save on costs. The trade-off is really simple. There’s definitely the potential to go overboard with the over-engineering, but we try to be sensible with the design, material selection, and manufacturing processes to make a product last for a long time.

I would love it if someone picked up one of our products 100 years from now and still appreciated it as an object. As a designer I think many of us aspire to design timeless designs, but that’s nearly impossible on a 100-year time scale. I’d be curious to find out how outdated they think our designs are and in what way they seem weird and confusing.

I've had a chance to use two variants of the Pen Type-C. One is raw titanium and the other is a Grade 5 Titanium Orange Cerakote version engraved with it's CW&T product ID: CWT_HSM4PW4_1610. Both feel durable and timeless. ※

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With the launch of the eponymous DC-1 Daylight Computer has been at the forefront of a revolution in human computing. Their vision is to build devices that honor our innate desires to be creative while also been more connected with our natural environments.

Personally I've become more connected to circadian rhythms and circadian biology over the past year and I was intrigued by the first prototype that I saw of the DC-1 device—a device with all the promise enabling us to touch the future while still being grounded to the beauty, wonder, and healing power of the natural world.

I had a chance to connect with Anjan Katta (Daylight's founder) and talk to him about the DC-1, life, and his philosophy on staying connected in our modern world.

① There has been a movement in the past couple years toward more healthy conceptions of modern computing. Devices that are designed for use outside and that encourage more healthy integration with the natural world are paramount to that. I would love to hear about your journey with Daylight Computer and bringing your first product to market. What drove you to create a product in this space?

I felt uniquely screwed by modern computing—both mentally and physically. My ADHD made it challenging to stay focused given the attention starvation of modern computers, and I struggled with seasonal affective disorder and vitamin D deficiency from being indoors too much. It dawned on me that the only device that didn't negatively impact me was my Kindle because I have a fundamentally different psychological relationship with it. This realization of my Kindle as a computer led me to envision something new: a paper-like computing substrate.

I started thinking about Arthur C. Clarke's idea that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. What if we could create computers that felt like the enchanted objects from Harry Potter—a Marauder's Map or Tom Riddle's diary? This vision of computing as magic, where analog objects are imbued with technology in a way that respects human physiology and psychology, became the driving force behind Daylight Computer.

② As you approached a hardware product like this, what were the underlying principles that drove the feature set and industrial design of the device itself?

Our core principle was to create technology that integrates seamlessly into our environment without demanding constant attention. We wanted to design analog-looking objects that are beautiful and unobtrusive when not in use, but can come alive with computational power when needed. The goal was to give users intentional control over their attention, rather than having technology constantly vying for it.

We focused on creating a more humane vision for computing, one that prioritizes physical and mental health. This meant rethinking every aspect of personal computing devices, from tablets to phones, monitors, and laptops. We wanted to create a better Kindle-like device that could handle more computing tasks while maintaining the benefits of e-ink technology and a paper-like interface.

③ The Daylight tablet is the first device you are taking to market. What is your longer term vision for Daylight? What other products do you want to bring to life?

Our vision for Daylight extends far beyond just creating tablets. We're looking at four main categories of innovation. First, we want to refactor personal computing with health and wellness at its core, following Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This means reimagining phones, monitors, laptops, and watches with physical health, mental health, and executive function as primary considerations.

Second, we're pursuing what I call the "Harry Potter vision"—making real-world objects magical and interactive, as an alternative to virtual or augmented reality. Third, we're exploring environmental design, creating products like smart alarm clocks or habit-tracking frames that subtly enhance our surroundings. Finally, we want to involve humans in the process, potentially integrating coaching or community support into our ecosystem.

④ I would love to hear you talk about the the philosophy and science behind Daylight Computer. How did you begin on the journey of creating more harmonious devices and what did you learn along the way?

This journey has been eye-opening in many ways. I learned the crucial importance of supply chain and manufacturing expertise—it's not just about having great ideas, but being able to realize them through intricate production processes. This gave me a new appreciation for why Steve Jobs chose Tim Cook as his successor at Apple.

I also realized the power of cross-domain knowledge. By combining insights from health, biology, engineering, and display technology, I was able to see possibilities that others in the industry missed. This taught me that there's a lot of innovation potential when you approach problems with a different philosophy or set of values.

Lastly, I was struck by the skepticism we faced from traditional gatekeepers in the venture capital world. Many liked our ideas personally but doubted that people truly wanted healthier technology. This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of optimism and faith in human potential when innovating.

⑤ Lastly, I would love to hear any wisdom you have to share about how to life a more grounded life? What do you wish more people knew about finding balance in a connected world?

I've come to deeply value empiricism in our relationship with technology. Instead of relying on specs or theoretical capabilities, we need to actually try things and see how they impact our lives. Often, a device that can do less on paper ends up enabling us to do more in reality, simply because it doesn't have the same addictive pitfalls.

Another crucial shift for me was moving from a scarcity mindset to one of trust. Much of our addictive behavior with technology comes from a fear of missing out on important information. I've learned to trust that if something is truly important, it will find its way to me when the time is right. This approach has dramatically reduced my stress and improved my relationship with technology.

Ultimately, I believe we need to rediscover the wisdom of our ancestors—to try things for ourselves, to value experiential knowledge, and to trust in the natural flow of life. By doing so, we can create and use technology in a way that truly enhances our lives rather than controlling them.

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Late in 2023 I started working on the kernel of an idea: what if I took the products, gear, and technology that I thoroughly enjoy to use and developed a series of interviews with founders and creators that explored the philosophy behind their iconic design. More than just admiring the aesthetics and value of the work, what if I explored the stories behind how these products are created? Are there common forces or threads that tie together good design? What makes products (and their creators) successful?

While I may not have unearthed answers to all of these questions, I do feel like I’ve made a dent in this space, a small careful path carved through the ocean of products and technology that exist in the world.

I’m excited for you to join me in this journey of looking behind the design of some thoughtful and creative brands, products, and technology, including: Aer, Teenage Engineering, ELAC, Daylight Computer, Pioneer Carry, AJOTO, and more. I’m excited to see what we might see (and discover) together.

Godspeed!

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