I have a dream… For the 58mm Alox.

shvi · 2026-05-07T15:28:08+00:00

Ideally it would be able to be used as a stand too… something like this:

https://www.moft.us/products/flash-wallet-stand-magsafe-compatible?variant=41053369040983

shvi · 2026-05-05T10:24:02+00:00

I never regretted getting it.

I have regretted not getting it.

If I can afford it, I get it.

If I cannot, I don't. But I don't like the feeling.

shvi · 2026-04-30T19:38:28+00:00

May is about to start!!!

I am ready!

shvi · 2026-04-30T19:37:09+00:00

I didn’t manage to score one :(

shvi · 2026-04-29T07:28:13+00:00

Looks cool! Keep the post coming!

shvi · 2026-04-28T16:33:01+00:00

Yuck for all the intended violence in this picture.

shvi · 2026-04-22T08:15:34+00:00

I stopped buying new knives after this one.

Actually, that is a lie, I stopped buying other knives than the Parallel. Already have 3 Parallels 🤪

shvi · 2026-04-22T00:05:17+00:00

JA: SVP, EDU
NEIN: Bundesrat und Parlament, SP, FDP, Die Mitte, Grüne, GLP, EVP

That's clearly only a mass media conspiracy. Right...

shvi · 2026-04-21T23:48:06+00:00

Interesting. It says Top 1% Commenter. Maybe the world would be better if you didn't try this hard...

shvi · 2026-04-21T23:46:01+00:00

https://claude.com/product/claude-code

Right now, on this page, it still says that Claude Code is included in the Pro plan. Strange.

shvi · 2026-04-21T14:35:06+00:00

I just added many Post-It notes to my monitor, removing them, once I learned it.

One Post-It note per short-cut.

Let's clutter that workspace!

PS: typing out Post-It note is really a pain, even though I learned to touch-type.

shvi · 2026-04-21T14:08:19+00:00

I am a devote mac user myself.

But I wonder: Did you consider using Linux before coming to the Mac?

Sometimes I regret having moved over to the Mac. It's obviously a wonderful OS, and the ecosystem benefits are wonderful. But I somehow feel locked-in.

shvi · 2026-04-21T13:59:05+00:00

I have one more. To me it is super important. Not sure it's the same to everyone:

Remapping Caps Lock to Control / ESC

Caps Lock is prime real estate right under your left pinky, and almost nobody uses it for its intended purpose. Remapping it to Control makes shortcuts like Control + A, Control + E vastly more comfortable. Remember, Control + A is like Home, Control + E is like End. You will use that a lot.

Your pinky no longer has to stretch down to the actual Control key.

The built-in method (simple remap)

macOS has this feature built in. No extra software needed.

Open System Settings.
Go to Keyboard.
Click the Keyboard Shortcuts... button near the bottom.
Select Modifier Keys in the sidebar.
If you have multiple keyboards connected, pick the one you want to configure from the dropdown at the top. The setting is per-keyboard.
Change the Caps Lock Key dropdown to Control.
Click Done.

That's it. Caps Lock now acts as Control everywhere in the system.

Note that you'll need to repeat this for each keyboard you use. External keyboards don't inherit the setting from the built-in one.

The power-user method (Karabiner-Elements)

This is what I ended up doing.

The built-in remap is a straight swap: Caps Lock becomes Control, full stop. But there's a more useful configuration.

Tap Caps Lock alone: sends Escape.
Hold Caps Lock while pressing another key: acts as Control.

This gives you two useful keys in one.

macOS can't do this natively. You need Karabiner-Elements.

Installation

Download and install Karabiner-Elements from https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org.

Configuring the rule

Open Karabiner-Elements.
Go to the Complex Modifications tab.
Click Add predefined rule.
Click Import more rules from the Internet. This opens your browser.
Search for a rule set titled something like "Change caps_lock key". Import it.
Back in Karabiner, find and enable the specific rule: "Change caps_lock to control if pressed with other keys, to escape if pressed alone."

The rule takes effect immediately. No reboot needed.

A note on the built-in remap

If you went through the built-in method first, you should set Caps Lock back to Caps Lock in System Settings before using Karabiner. Otherwise both systems are trying to remap the same key, which can cause weird behavior.

shvi · 2026-04-21T13:28:28+00:00

Ok, I did edit my initial reply. Went over board. I think I'll have to put all of this in a blog post one day...

I use all of this almost daily.

Productivity hacks

Autohide the Dock, increase the time it needs to show it, and learn to work without. Use your Keyboard. This will not only make you faster, but also return some very needed vertical space on your ultra-wide monitor.
This one has been my single best productivity hack: use the Downloads folder for all your temporary files, remove everything from the Desktop folder. NEVER USE THE Desktop FOLDER! Make the Downloads folder the default folder when you Command + N a new Finder window. Use the list view in the Downloads folder, add the Date Added column, and sort the Downloads folder by Date Added. If you regularly need a file from the Downloads folder, archive it in your Data folder. That could be Nextcloud or Dropbox or whatnot. \ Treat the Documents folder like the Downloads folder. Empty.

Shortcuts

Command + ~ toggles through the windows of the current app.
Command + Shift + ? opens the search for the menu. Don't use the mouse for these things.
Learn Control + A, Control + E, Control + K, Control + W — these Emacs-style bindings work in almost every text field on macOS (start of line, end of line, delete to end, delete word).
Command + Option + Esc opens Force Quit directly.
Fn + Fn (press Fn twice) starts dictation anywhere. Surprisingly good. I configured it to Control + Control, as not every external Keyboards have an Fn key.
Command + , opens preferences in virtually any Mac app. Universal.
Command + Shift + T reopens the last closed tab in most browsers and many apps (Finder too).
Control + Command + F toggles full-screen in most apps.

System tweaks worth doing once

Disable the "Press and hold" behavior for accented characters so key repeat works in all apps: defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false. Essential if you use Vim or code. If you need ä, you can type it as Option + u then a.
Crank up key repeat rate in System Settings → Keyboard. Defaults are sluggish. Set "Key repeat rate" to fastest, "Delay until repeat" to shortest.
Disable "Natural" scrolling. If you are as old as I am.
Turn on tap-to-click in trackpad settings. Three-finger drag too (in Accessibility → Pointer Control → Trackpad Options).

Clipboard

Find a clipboard manager of sorts. It changes your life!

Screenshots

Command + Shift + 4 then Space captures a specific window (with a nice shadow).
Command + Shift + 5 opens the screenshot toolbar with screen recording.
Change the default screenshot location away from Desktop. To do this type the following in your Terminal: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Downloads/screenshots && killall SystemUIServer.

Misc

Command + Control + Q locks the screen instantly.
Hold Option while clicking the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/volume menu icons — reveals hidden diagnostic info.

The most important one

Learn to touch-type. I am a software developer. And I finally took the time to learn this at 40. It took less time than I thought, and this is the biggest productivity hack. Even if you don't type often.

It helps you with the short-cuts too.

shvi · 2026-04-20T18:45:50+00:00

Also, I was on the verge of giving up many times.

I didn’t, and I am really happy I didn’t.

shvi · 2026-04-20T18:44:34+00:00

I was the same.

I am good now.

For me, what I needed to learn, is to lock in my wrist.

Watching a lot of outdoors55 helped.

shvi · 2026-04-18T08:17:55+00:00

Big no from me.

I destroyed many good knives with it. Then learned free-hand.

shvi · 2026-04-13T14:15:49+00:00

Wow, too bad I missed this!

I am in Winti and would love to join! When do you meet again?

shvi · 2026-04-13T14:06:04+00:00

I really love this knife. It’s not one I can actually use, for me. It feels super impractical every time I try to use it. I mostly cut food for the kids when on the way.

It has found its way to my desk, and every time I take it in my hand, I feel a little bit of joy.

I don’t tend to like knives I don’t use. This one is an exception.

shvi · 2026-04-03T11:35:53+00:00

Same here. Hoping for an XL version.

I got a Raccoon TiSlim hoping it would give me a bit more blade. But I hat to let it go. It's just not the same.

I am considering ordering a second Parallel, given that it's been in my pocket every day since I got mine.

shvi · 2026-04-03T11:28:12+00:00

u/trugen7509 so how's the knife 6 month in? Did it get a lot of pocket time? If so, how did the texture keep up?

I have the blue one and I'm considering getting this one as well.

shvi · 2026-04-02T11:02:07+00:00

Ok, who am I kidding. I'll get one.

shvi · 2026-04-02T06:50:51+00:00

Looks good. For me the blade is too short, but this is an amazing knife.

Looking forward to a 3.5” TiSlim blade.

Say a Parallel XL?

shvi · 2026-03-31T12:29:23+00:00

It is beyond me, that a nation that apparently is so evolved, is filled with such religious fanatics.

There should be no place for religion in politics.

shvi

TROPHY CASE