The GH60 project is a tutorial-and-build-log kind of thing that lets you assemble your own mechanical keyboard. There’s plenty of official info here, and you can dig into the overseas sites for the details. For us users, though, all you really need to know is that GH60 is the process of putting a mechanical keyboard together yourself. GH60 is basically just a keyboard PCB. Once you have the board, all that’s left is soldering switches, adding a case, and deciding whether to throw in LEDs. At first I went in with the “if I’m doing it, I’m doing it big” principle when picking parts, and by the time I’d spec’d genuine Cherry switches + an aluminum case + a steel plate + custom purple-black-orange three-color keycaps, the price had shot past 900. Hell, for that money why wouldn’t I just buy a Filco?

It’s been almost two years since the IM03 arrived… I actually really like these buds. At first I thought they sounded muffled, but somewhere along the way — maybe they got broken in, maybe not — they ended up being the most “balanced across all three ranges” pair I own. Clear highs, dense mids, and the bass is a bit lean, but I lean toward a light sound anyway. If I want bass I’ve got the IE80, so these became my go-to whenever I’m in a bad mood. My IM03 is a Japanese-market unit, so no warranty. I used to worry it’d suddenly die on me like my late, lamented TF10 — and die it did, though not while any supposed warranty was still in effect.

The Chord Mojo is a DAC/amp combo that’s been getting pretty hot lately, mostly because it’s tiny but packs a ridiculous amount of power. According to the folks over at Soomal, the Mojo’s magic comes from its advanced tech and craftsmanship, which is how they managed to make it so small. But science and technology are the primary productive forces, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to grab one for myself—at the very least it takes up less space in my backpack. Honestly, after getting it, I feel it’s well worth the money. The sound is decent, and the playability is off the charts!

I bought this because after picking up the AM2 last time I found out I’d screwed myself. Because right after I paid, FiiO announced: “Every X7 owner gets one chance to buy a module at half price.” So I said: “What if I already paid full price?” FiiO was very polite about it: “No worries, we’ll have other modules down the road, you can save it for next time.” ……………… So I finally used that chance.

Buying this was pure impulse — I was ordering it for someone else, saw the color, thought it looked genuinely nice, and it’s my kind of purple, so I grabbed one for myself too. After ordering on the official site, I found out they also have a Taobao flagship store. And with the official site order, I don’t even know when the hell it’ll arrive… Later I asked the official staff on X (Twitter), and they said the official site and Taobao are the same, no need to worry. The pen supports engraving, but only in English. I got plumlis put on it… because I honestly couldn’t think of anything else. kiritanihaha is too long, hentai is too short. When it arrived I was struck by how, as expected of the domestic version, the packaging is way nicer than the blue Alstar I bought on Taobao.

I’d been wanting a hybrid for ages, but kept going back and forth: K3003, or the DUNU DN2000J? Some people say just go K3003, no hesitation. But the K3003 is way too fucking expensive. Others say the DN2000J matches the K3003 on sheer technical chops, and only sells low because it’s made in China. W from the office, who loves trains and has actually heard the K3003, says it’s just okay — too bright, too floaty, too sharp, not a good buy. Especially once he learned I listen to everything. “Honestly, for your taste, an Audio-Technica IM03 plus a Sennheiser IE80 would be plenty. Don’t you already have the ER4P? Rotate those and you’ve got everything covered.” But I still wanted a hybrid, just to feel one out. At least something above the 100-yuan tier — under 100 yuan I’ve already got the Xiaomi hybrid. Thanks to a JD sale and 12 months of interest-free Bai條, the dream came true.

Not sure where I read this, but at least one line stuck with me as pretty reasonable. “A lot of people slowly realize that almost every device around them has quietly been replaced by Xiaomi—unless it’s Apple.” I don’t use Apple, but looking back, I’ve got a fair amount of Xiaomi stuff too. Mi Band, Redmi phone, Xiaomi power bank, Xiaomi batteries, Xiaomi Piston earphones, Xiaomi power strip, and… a Xiaomi latex pillow.

Honestly, for the Surface Pro 4, being thin and light is the whole selling point. Slapping a case on it is dumb. But in my case, there are still reasons.

I use a laptop, and these days nobody really needs optical discs anymore. They’re old, they’re dumb. But back in the day, I thought CDs were some untouchable, high-tier thing.

I remember when I bought the FiiO X7, I raised a suggestion on their forum. “Can you make the screen stay on, and support phone or car Bluetooth for control only, without audio output? I’ve always been running AUX out to the car stereo.” FiiO’s official reply said they understood my request, knew that AUX input into the car was a real pain to control, and that they’d figure something out. So direct control in the car really was hard, and FiiO put out this little thing: a Bluetooth remote…