{"id":5431,"date":"2024-11-30T09:06:59","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T09:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dalelane.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5431"},"modified":"2026-04-02T16:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:57:13","slug":"stuff-i-got-this-year-and-loved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dalelane.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5431","title":{"rendered":"Stuff I got this year (and loved)"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Thanksgiving, so time to reflect on what I’m thankful for.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Okay, I\u2019m not American\u2026 but I work for an American company and have a lot of American colleagues, so this week has been quieter than usual – that helped put me in a thankful mood! I thought I\u2019d share some of the stuff I got this year that I have loved more than I expected.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nCable organiser<\/strong> (link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

My laptop bag has long been a knotted nest of cables. When I needed a cable, finding the one I wanted and untangling it was a pain. This is something I should\u2019ve got years ago!<\/p>\n

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\n\n<\/div>\n
\nArc web browser<\/strong> (link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been using Arc as my main (desktop) web browser for a few months now. It\u2019s different, and took a while to adapt to the way it does things: spaces, tabs, bookmarks etc. but I embraced it and it has paid off. It\u2019s brought order to the chaotic sprawl of endless tabs I used to have in Chrome \/ Safari!<\/p>\n

\nZipper bracelet<\/strong> (link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Colourful plastic zips, turned into bracelets.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t really explain this one… I don\u2019t remember where I first heard of them, but I got a few of these this year. I started wearing a different one each day, but quickly settled into just wearing the blue \/ purple one.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure why I like it so much, but there\u2019s something I like about fidgeting with the zip.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, no-one has questioned it (at least not to my face). So it\u2019s either not super noticeable, or they\u2019re not as unusual as I think?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nNieR: Automata (End of YoRHa Edition)<\/strong> (link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Best game I\u2019ve played this year. It\u2019s not even close.<\/p>\n

I spent three months immersed in NieR: Automata and it blew me away. It\u2019s the deepest and most thought-provoking game I\u2019ve ever played. If I had to pick a poster-child game to demonstrate how video games can be art, it’d be this. Half a year later, the characters and the story and the ideas it raises are still with me. Loved it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\niPad Mini<\/strong> (link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t owned a tablet for many years, but in June I splashed out and treated myself to an iPad Mini (6th generation).<\/p>\n

I also got a few things to go with it, that I\u2019ll list below. I\u2019m a huge fan of all of them (with the possible exception of the Logitech keyboard\u2026 it\u2019s not the most comfortable typing experience, but I haven\u2019t found anything I like better that is as thin or small).<\/p>\n

In rough order of priority, I got the iPad to be:<\/p>\n