Newsletter: week of 6/2

Happy Friday and hello from Chicago! Today, I want to formally introduce you to my partner, Hannah :). She is a book editor at St. Martin's Press, which means she reads every single one of these newsletters, then critiques them over dinner every Friday night 😂. Two weeks ago, her issue was how many times I wrote "holy hell"; apparently, three times is two times too many.

Anywho, this week, I had the privilege of joining her on a book tour from NYC to Philadelphia, and now finally Chicago, for her latest book, So Gay For You. It's an incredible memoir by Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey, two stars of The L Word, an iconic early-2000s TV show about a group of lesbians in Los Angeles. Last night's stop on the tour featured Hannah as the moderator. And I think I was more nervous than she was because my smart ring alerted me of elevated stress levels before they went on, ahah. But I had nothing to worry about; her quick wit totally stole the show.

Hannah, I am so proud of you.

That's Hannah on the left <3 (s/o to the S25 Ultra's telephoto lens)

Now we are spending the rest of the weekend in Chicago, catching up with friends, enjoying some baseball, and, most importantly, eating a lot of hot dogs. Sorry, Chicago, I'm not a fan of deep dish. Pizza belongs in the hand, not on a fork.

Here is everything else I have been thinking about this week.

What I scrolled through:

Why the best journalists on YouTube are all former Vox employees
Articles like this always make me wonder what could have been if Vox Media had dared to think of creators like they do podcasters, allowing us to own our IP while also continuing our relationship with their brands. I guess we will never know!

Everything Apple Plans to Show at Its iOS 26-Focused WWDC 2025 Event
"The Camera app will be revamped with a focus on simplicity". 👀

Nothing Headphone 1 to Launch Alongside Nothing Phone 3
So help me god the headphones aren't clear. I mean, they have to be... right??

Old iMac as monitor
I have a 2013 iMac that I obviously don't use but think would make a great monitor. Does anyone have experience with Luna Display or Target Display Mode?

How to take AI out of Google Search

What I watched:

BTS video of Tom Cruise skydiving with his parachute on fire
The only information missing is how he lands on the ground after...

Lester Holt signs off from Nightly News after ten years leading the broadcast
One of my early video-making influences was the Nightly News. We used to watch Tom Brokaw, and later Brian Williams and Lester Holt, every night after dinner. This led to my best friend Abby and me creating fake news casts of our own with my mini-DV camera. Journalism is essential for many reasons, but the people-first storytelling of it all is what I have always appreciated the most. Anywho, I cried watching the above video. Lester Holt had an amazing run!

Trainwreck: Poop Cruise (trailer)
I cannot wait to watch this.

I AM USING MY LEICA WRONG - are you too?
Phew, I'm right eye dominant as I thought!

What I listened to:

Prime Lenses - Focus Points - Talking to Tom!
s/o out to our Patreon bud, Tom. I disagree with your camera pick, but I loved the chat regardless!

The art of being yourself | Caroline McHugh
"You will never, ever be perception-less, but it's important to be perception-free".

Higher Love - Kygo & Whitney Houston
bringing this one back for summer

Sun in Our Eyes - MØ & Diplo
bringing this one back, too

Lilith - George Houston

Leave My Body - Florence + the Machine

Ok, folks. That's all I got. I am jamming on my Fujifilm X Half video this weekend, and I should have it for all of you next week. So far, I am loving my time with it, and I have no doubt that it will be a hit with folks looking for the Fuji-look without having to pay over $1,000. But this camera is absolutely not for everyone, especially pros. More on that soon :)

Appreciate you, B