Heat maps, headphones, and coffee

DECEMBER 2020

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Hi *|FNAME|*,

This month's top new feature is personalized keyboard heat maps: A way to see how efficient your layout is, for you. It's really fun to use, and I hope you like it. Check it out below.

Also, 2020 is almost up. Whew! What a year. Stay tuned for the first week of Jan 2021: I'll email you with a fun new product. ;) It's not a keyboard (not even related), just a useful concept I've been working on. Fully DIY, and can help with New Year's resolutions. Enough said, for now! Stay tuned for that email.

Happy holidays, and as always, write me anytime — ez@zsa.io.

All the best,
Erez

Introducing Heat Maps

How ergonomic is your layout, for you?

Everyone's different: I wanted a tool that would give me insights about my own personal typing patterns, with my keyboard, my layout, and my workload. That's what heat maps do.

Featured User Interview

Andreas Tacke

Software Developer/Consultant

I just love this interview. Andreas's photos are incredible, and he dives deep into what he uses for coding, making, photography, and music. A great read.

"The one thing I did to both of my keyboards was tightly wrap the TRRS cables they came with around the shaft of a large screwdriver, secure the ends with heat-resistant polyimide tape, and carefully heat everything up with a hot air gun a few times for a makeshift coiled cable."

Layout of the month: Eio 1.0

A list of goals: Base layer should work well with Windows/Mac/Linux. I often need to copy-paste between Mac (work laptop) and Linux (remote desktop). It should be easy to learn and memorize, and easy to switch back to regular keyboards. Typos should not be introduced due to typing too fast or too slow (my typing is inconsistent).

Things we liked

Baller ToDo →

Ditch the lists | Plan like a baller | Live guilt free

A fun little visual tool for sorting to-do items into urgent/non-urgent, high- and low-impact. Drag items around the four quadrants and prioritize your work.

PlayingCards.io →

The game without rules

An online deck of cards, great for remote games. Real-time sync. Free (ads). Also has Checkers, Chess, and more.

Verse by Verse →

An experimental AI-powered muse that helps you compose poetry inspired by classic American poets

My keyboard has power \ And I to my heart will ride \ Behind my eve and hour \ Count my rhyme, or plant my guide

Airport Codes →

What do they actually mean?

Did you know that Toronto's YYZ comes from the old railway station code for Malton, an area west of Toronto where the airport is located? Find out what your favorite airport code means. A beautiful little site.

Infinite Bad Guy →

With cats

Even if you're not a Billie Eilish fan, this is a feat of streaming. One song, countless covers, beautifully synced. Click around. There's a #cat hashtag.

Tip: We have a subscriber-only link archive with all of the links we shared over the years. Just for you. ❤️

Wallpaper of the month

Holiday lights meet the Moonlander. Looks great on mobile, too.

Thank you for reading!