Another New Year’s Eve, Another Opportunity to Celebrate a Simple Farm Boy Blowing Up an Intergalactic Space Station of Death

For years now, I’ve been ringing in the new year by watching Star Wars: A New Hope. If you start the movie (Disney+ Edition) at precisely 10:02:43 PM, you get a new year at the moment the Death Star blows up. During these years, I haven’t always paid close attention to the movie (we’re usually with friends and family), but I haven’t missed the inane New Year’s coverage either. (Fireworks are just never impressive on television.) You can learn more about this tradition from the Rebel Force Radio.

WinterFest 2024: Great Tools for a Productive New Year (Sponsor)

The new year is almost here, and with it comes fresh projects, big ideas, and opportunities to grow. Whether you’re writing your next novel, finishing a research project, planning your business, or journaling life’s moments for your loved ones, having the right tools makes all the difference.

That’s why I’m excited to have WinterFest 2024 as this week’s sponsor. This annual event brings together a curated collection of artisanal software–thoughtfully crafted tools designed to help you think, write, and create more effectively.

WinterFest is a celebration of software artisans–small teams of developers who care deeply about their tools and their customers. These aren’t cookie-cutter apps churned out by big corporations. These are finely honed tools that are constantly updated, well-supported, and built to help you do your best work.

No gimmicks. No bloated bundles. Just great software with a terrific discount for a limited time.

I’ve been using and recommending many of these tools for years. They’re the kinds of apps you rely on every day–apps that spark creativity, improve productivity, and make hard work feel a little easier.

With WinterFest 2024, you’ll find tools for:

  • Writing — from outlines to manuscripts to polished final drafts.
  • Researching — collecting and organizing your ideas with ease.
  • Planning — structuring your projects, goals, and next steps.
  • Thinking — capturing, exploring, and refining your best ideas.

Each tool works seamlessly on its own and plays well with others, creating a powerful and flexible workflow tailored to your needs.

For a limited time, you can grab these incredible apps at a significant discount. Just head over to the WinterFest website and check it out.

Google and AI Search

The Information is reporting that Google plans to add “AI Mode” to its search. This is not a surprise if you’ve spent any time with Perplexity or ChatGPT search; they’re both leaps and bounds ahead of traditional Google Search. Moreover, Google’s Gemini is pretty good, and I expect that it could be a real contender if they put it to work with their search engine.

However, the point is that it would be a contender and not the clear market leader. I remember the old days when we had a lot of search engines, and then Google wiped them all out overnight. I don’t think that will be the case with this next arms race of search engines. Google will be one of several good engines from which we’ll be able to choose. Hopefully, this leads to lots of innovation and the end of the search monopoly.

A 10-Year AirTag

Elevation Labs is at it again, tempting me with weird Apple-adjacent products. The TimeCapsule is an AirTag attachment that gives it a 10-year battery. Now, if I could just think of something I want to track for the next 10 years. It’s a clever design and can make a lot of sense if you’re on the road a lot.