I am thankful for family and friends who love and support me.

I am thankful for a community that supports my kids and provides them opportunities to learn and grow into responsible adults.

I am thankful for free and fair elections where I can vote to continue the messy experiment of democracy.

I am thankful for a career which allows me to create, build, scale, mentor, and learn.

I am thankful for a healthy body to walk, run, hike, play tennis, take care of myself and serve others.

I am thankful for service opportunities to mentor students, give to local non-profit organizations , and teach the benefits of giving.

Nilay, at The Verge, nails why Trump is too inept to be President in his endorsement for Kamala Harris.

Trump simply cannot use the tools of democracy to run the country on our behalf. His brain does not work that way, even when it appears to be working. He is too selfish, too stupid, too cognitively impaired, too fucked in the head by social media — too whatever. He just can’t do it. He will make our collective action problems worse because he doesn’t even know what kind of problems they are. There is a reason he loves dictators and that all his biggest ideas involve forcing people to do things at the barrel of a gun: mass deportations, arresting his critics, sending the military into American cities to quell protests. He is unable to imagine a world where people cooperate for any reason other than the threat of violence, and so violence has become an inextricable part of his movement.

I received my Nomad Tracking Card today. It was easy to setup. Pull it out of the box, open the Find My app, hold the button on the card, then walk through the pairing process on the phone.

This is a Nomad product so the build quality is exceptional. The card feels really solid and is only as thick as two credit cards. I find it amazing that a battery can fit into a card this thin. Aesthetically, the electronics inscription on the front is subtle but looks great.

The specs say the battery life is 5 months and it is rechargeable using MagSafe or Qi wireless chargers. I’m looking forward to trying it out. For me this tracker is much more useful than AirTags. I have an AirTag for my luggage and one for my car keys but this Nomad tracker is much more useful day to day in my wallet.

At $50 it isn’t cheap but because it is easily rechargeable I think it will be worth it.

I’ve been thinking about remote work due to some top-down policy changes made by my employer. These changes along with other headlines have reminded me how much I value working remotely. I have discussed the benefits and challenges of remote work with my wife and colleagues over the past few months. Through these chats I’ve realized that I need to write my thoughts to clarify and detail my opinions about why remote work is important in today’s world.

My thoughts come from 8 years of full-time remote working and reading many books and blog posts on the subject. I feel that I have learned a lot over the years about what works and what doesn’t. The structure of this post lists of the benefits and challenges of remote work and is intended to be a summary. As I publish my thoughts on each item I’ll update this post with links to individual posts.

Individual Benefits

1. Flexibility - When and where to work is the biggest benefit of remote work.
2. Improved Productivity - Fewer distractions allow me to focus and get more done.
3. Work-Life Balance - Seeing my kids off to school in the morning and driving them to activities keeps me involved in their lives.
4. Cost Savings - I’ve saved tens of thousands of dollars over the years by not commuting daily and not eating out regularly.
5. Health and Well-being: Trading time commuting for time exercising is a win both mentally and physically.
6. Personalized Work Space: I’m lucky to have a dedicated room with a large window with natural sunlight in my house. I also have some great posters and decorations to motivate me.

Company Benefits

1. Access to Global Talent: By accessing a broader talent pool, companies can find highly skilled individuals not limited by geographical location.
2. Cost Savings: Reduced need for physical office space, utilities, and related expenses results in significant cost savings.
3. Increased Productivity: Remote workers are more productive due to fewer distractions and personalized work schedules and environments.
4. Employee Satisfaction: Remote work options boost employee satisfaction and retention, as it provides flexibility and a better work-life balance.
5. Diversity and Inclusion: Hiring individuals from different backgrounds and locations promotes diversity and fosters a more inclusive work environment.
6. Business Continuity: Distributed workers help the company be more resilient to disruptions like weather events, health crises, or internet outages.
7. Environmental Impact: Reduced commuting results in fewer carbon emissions and higher employee morale.

Challenges

1. Communication and Collaboration: Traditional office communication and collaboration methods are less effective in remote work environments and may lead to misunderstandings and delays.
2. Isolation and Loneliness: Some remote workers struggle with feelings of isolation and loneliness due to not being physically close to other co-workers.
3. Working Across Time Zones: Finding shared times between various time zones can be challenging and can cause delays in information sharing.
4. Establishing Work-Life Boundaries: Many new remote workers have difficulty establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life, leading to overworking or decreased productivity.
5. Staying Motivated: Without clear guidance remote workers may lack focus and lose motivation to accomplish goals.
6. Not leaving the house: Many workers find they have less reason to leave the house when working remotely.
7. Technology and Infrastructure: Technical issues and cybersecurity threats are more challenging to manage and monitor with workers distributed geographically.
8. Management and Oversight: Many managers struggle to ensure tasks are completed, productivity is maintained, and employees feel supported.
9. Company Cultural: Creating a cohesive company culture and fostering a sense of belonging is difficult when employees are scattered.

This isn’t a comprehensive list but there are some interesting items to delve into deeper and hopefully explain how remote work fits into the modern workplace.

I recently started accessing a Mac Mini from the Screen Sharing app on macOS. The app was recently updated in macOS Sonoma and it’s great! I’ve been connecting to this Mac from my laptop with the Screen Sharing app in full screen mode and the performance is good over my Wi-Fi connection. There are occasional stutters but most of the time I forget it is a screen share. I like using the Mac Mini at my desk but being able to access it from any Mac in the house is even better!

One trick I’ve found is to turn on the Dynamic Resolution setting in System Settings > Displays on the remote Mac. When the Screen Sharing app is in full screen mode it makes the remote screen fit perfectly on the laptop screen. My only gripe is that the setting isn’t sticky so I have to set it again every time I connect.

A couple of notes - I’ve filed a feedback for this feature request. And I’ve also included a screenshot of where to find this setting as it only appears in the Displays settings when the remote Mac has an active Screen Sharing connection.