Good Stuff, 2025

This wasn't a big year for new stuff. Mostly long-overdue upgrades and new tiny things which helped me rid myself of bigger things. And drums. Drums!

Here they are, vaguely ordered by how much I use them:

1. Samsung 32" 4K M9 Monitor.

You get older and you find yourself needing screens to be larger and further away. My 24" 4.5k iMac was already set to 4k but even that was getting harder to look at for long periods. I tried 27" at 4k, but 32" @ 4k, a monitor size I always thought was stupidly over-sized, was perfect.

Of course, there are cheaper 32" 4K screens out there. Why this one? I wanted one that was 120Hz or above, with a USB hub, and single-cable laptop charging. That only left two I could find available, a Dell one and this Samsung one. Reviews said the Dell one was wobbly, and I don't use a VESA mount, so I got this one. Bonus: this one looks nicer, has a remote, and has speakers and a webcam. The webcam is so bad as to be useless, but the speakers are better than ... no speakers.

Simply put, a 120Hz, 32" 4K screen with one-cable laptop docking, a remote and a passable speaker? Biggest computing upgrade in years. My eyes have been much less strained.

2. Roland Drums VAD-307

This may win the award for the purchase I agonized over the most. Not just this year, but for years I've wanted a set of electronic drums. (I played acoustic drums when I was younger.) I played a bunch of different kits, couldn't decide, went back and forth, and finally decided on the ones that, uh, looked the coolest?

These drums look more like real drums than normal electronic kits. Look at them! You can't pass them and not want to sit down and play. Which I do. A lot. A lot a lot. I initially set it up as a 4-piece, single-crash to see if liked that setup, but after adding the 2nd rack tom and crash it feels more 'correct'. Definitely worth the upgrade over the VAD-103.

3. Cellular Apple Watch

I had the very first Apple Watch. And then one in the middle somewhere. And now this one. But this is my first cellular one.

I wanted to try leaving the house without a phone. It was weird at first, now I hate those occasional times when I have to take a phone with me. What is this weird rectangle in my pocket? I'm not happy about it, not at all. I can listen to music, take (voice) notes, and look at my grocery list on my watch. What else do I really need when I'm near-ish my home?

4. The Goose!

I think I like the Crumpler brand more than the products themselves, but this sling bag is just about perfect. It's called The Goose because ... Crumpler. Great colour, nice organization, holds its shape when you put it down even if it's not full. Actual geese are little pooping devils. This bag is the opposite of that so it must be named ironically.

5. Korean Sunscreen + Sun Hoodie

Being in the highest risk group for skin cancer (those who have already had it) I try not to go out in the sun. But you gotta live, so when I do, the right coverings and sunscreen that's actually not gross to wear helps a ton. This year I added a sun hoodie (mine is Mountain Hardwear) and better sunscreens to my already substantial arsenal. Maybe next I'll try a sun umbrella, or go live underground.

6. Mini-ITX PC Case + 8bitdo Ultimate 2

My gaming PC was in a big case, but as I've upgraded parts over the years I kept a small form-factor build in mind. This year I got the case, and a few other small bits so I could use it in my living room console-style. The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 (not pictured) is a perfect controller for this application. Very happy with the build, the portability, and how close it is to a proper gaming console.

7. These hard but artistic puzzles

Finding a good puzzle image is always tricky. (No more grass please!) This series of puzzles from Iello has incredible illustrations and I love the box shape and design. Some of the images in this series are beautiful but look impossible. The two pictured here are two of the easiest but still had some tough spots. Some things are worth the effort, I guess.

8. An old Mac Mini

I downsized to only using a single computer this year, my laptop. I had always run a desktop as well, which was also my home file and web server. Laptops aren't great at the whole server thing. So I got an old Mac Mini (2014 I think?) slapped a 2TB SSD in it, and set that up as a home server. It's been rock solid even since, and lets me keep a lot of files and dev stuff locally.

What do they say in show business? Go out on a boring and relatively niche note? Done.

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That's it. May the year of 2026 be filled with pointless consumerism so next year's roundup can be more exciting.