As we inch ever closer to episode 600, we spent some time reflecting on our podcasting journey and the accelerating pace of our 100-episode milestones. It feels like just yesterday I started this show during a brief stint as a full-time blogger, and I’m incredibly grateful for Jon Westfall and all the friends who have stepped in to keep the show running consistently over the past 18 years.
Tech News & Announcements
Jon Westfall and I (Todd Ogasawara) covered several major industry updates and rumors this week:
- Apple’s Upcoming Events: We discussed the rumors surrounding the Apple March 4 launch event, including the highly anticipated A18 Pro budget MacBook, which is expected to bring fun colors and a more accessible price point.
- Google’s Latest Offerings: We touched on the Google Gemini Lyria 3 music creation feature. I was able to try it out a couple of times. Additionally, we looked at the news that Google launched a Snapseed camera for iPhone, bringing pro manual controls and retro film effects to iOS.
E-Ink Troubleshooting: Boox Note Air5 C
I provided an update on the Boox Note Air5 C and a frustrating e-ink lag problem when using Microsoft OneNote. This writing lag is a known issue. The current solution when dealing with OneNote’s infinite scrolling is simple but annoying: don’t write near the very bottom of the display. Note that this specific issue doesn’t seem to happen on the iPad or conventional Android tablets—it is strictly an e-ink quirk.
Workplace Feedback, “Vibe Working,” and OneNote
We moved into a deeper discussion about evaluating work and the ongoing challenges of providing workplace feedback. Jon has been evaluating the work of his peers lately in OneNote, and to say it’s not going well would be an understatement. We debated whether the fault lies with the tool itself or the user, leading into a wider conversation about the lack of attention to detail in professional environments.
This tied perfectly into the difficulty of giving feedback to coworkers, especially when unreadable formatting or poorly optimized code directly impacts your own workflow. Finding that reasonable middle ground to deliver criticism without causing unnecessary friction remains a constant challenge.
We introduced some new terms to frame this phenomenon, comparing Mark Zuckerberg’s old “move fast and break things” mantra against the reality that carelessness often speaks directly to competency. We coined phrases like Minimally Viable Product / Deliverable, Vibe Working, and Generation AI to describe these modern workplace dynamics.
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