They usually choose a subset of customers to try UI changes on before rolling it out to everyone. This way they can estimate the general reaction before committing to it. They probably also have a dozen different layouts and text for this dialog that they are testing to see what makes people most likely to click yes. Its all just statistics to them.

The USGS has a much better article.

https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/potential-geologic-hydrogen-next-generation-energy

It does sound promising, but it looks like there is a fair amount of work to make it economically viable.

Gadgetbridge looks cool. I wish I had known about this before buying a Fitbit. I wonder how hard it would be to add support.

When I configured it, a 13" mac pro with 16GB ram and 1TB SSD is $1600 from apple, the 13" framework with 16GB ram and 1TB SSD is $1065. That comes out to a 60% difference for the most basic configuration I would consider.

I bought a framework laptop for my significant other last year and it’s amazing. It feels super solid like a Macbook but is easy to open and change out parts. Nothing has broken but adding some ram was probably the most pleasant experience I have had working on a laptop. Plus, the main PCB can run without the rest of the laptop so perhaps a great home automation server or TV computer if we upgrade.

My next machine is definitely going to be one of these. Way cheaper than Apple if you want more than 8G of RAM and a decent amount of disk space.

I liked the idea more than advertising to be honest. But it felt weird voluntarily giving them money while they were using ads too. Ever since I cancelled my last cable tv in the mid 2000s I refuse to pay for anything with ads.

If you have access to a 3d printer, try looking for a tenting case on Printables or Thingiverse. The CRKBD printed case I downloaded was pretty good. Plus I was able to modify the design over time to suit my needs. My current iteration is over a year old and I love it.

Fyi the lily 58 has space for the number row at the top. You can also build a number pad that sits between the halves. It’s all wireless and still takes less room than a standard layout.

But anyway, you choose the layout that works for you. That’s the whole point of ergo mech keyboards. Lots of great open source software exists to choose and build exactly what you want with no compromises.

Switch testers are quite nice even if they don’t have the exact switch you want. It’s a lot easier to figure out what the numbers and descriptions mean if you have a comparison point. The switches I ended up with were not in any tester, but the testers were still super helpful.

As for layout, it’s worth being open to the smaller things like CRKBD or Lily58, your brain is better at adapting than you may think. These layouts save desk space, are significantly cheaper, and are quite nice to use. The savings add up especially quick if you are trying out different kinds of keys.