A few days ago, I shared that I was testing Brave as my web browser. I’ve been a Google Chrome user for years, but I liked the idea of blocking ads and trackers for all web pages, so I gave Brave a try.

I’ve been using it exclusively for the last few days on my laptop and cellphone. It’s noticeably faster on both devices. It blocks annoying ads. And it’s free. Given my good experience, today I decided to make the switch official. I’ve set Brave as the default browser on both devices. The product is solid, and I hope the open-source nature of it means the community will continue to make it better.

I’ve been a Google Chrome user for a long time. Recently, I’ve noticed that it runs slower on certain websites and sometimes becomes totally unresponsive. I’m sure this isn’t 100% Chrome’s fault. No doubt it’s partly the websites and my computer too. I’m not changing computers, and I can’t control other people’s websites.

Recently, an entrepreneur I know told me about Brave, an open-source browser that focuses on privacy. It’s advertised as loading web pages faster, partly because it blocks third-party ads and trackers embedded on websites. It’s free, so I gave it a try this week.

The first thing I noticed was that it allowed me to import everything I had in Google Chrome. Bookmarks, extensions, etc.: two clicks, and it was done. I appreciate this because my list of bookmarks is extensive and I’m accustomed to certain extensions.

The second thing I noticed was Brave’s speed. It’s noticeably faster than Google Chrome. Pages load lightning fast. And Brave blocks ads, trackers, and other things and tells you how many items it blocked when you visit a site. I tested it by going to espn.com, where it blocked 19 items while loading the homepage incredibly fast.

So far, I like Brave. I’ll keep using it this week, and if it continues to impress, it’ll become my default browser.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out Brave’s site here.

One technology I’m interested in is AI-enabled smart glasses. The ability to let AI interpret what we see and display useful information in our field of view could be game-changing.

I’ve been following the space this year. Today, Snap held a launch event for its SPECS glasses. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but from what I’ve read and seen so far, I’m impressed. I’m interested in learning more about them, including what they’re capable of, in the coming days.

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

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Happy July 4th!

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

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Happy Juneteenth!

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

I’m a huge fan of podcasts. Watching them is one of the main methods I use to learn. Whenever I’m trying to learn about a topic, I find the most knowledgeable and credible people (i.e., they’ve had outsize success) in that field and listen to them being interviewed on podcasts. Like many, I started off on Apple Podcasts, but over the last few years I’ve been consuming podcasts via YouTube. I don’t watch the videos, really; I just listen. But YouTube’s search and discovery algorithm makes it many times easier to find relevant podcasts. Combine that with the fact that most podcasts (even audio-only ones) can be found on YouTube, and it became hard to stick with Apple Podcasts.

Today, the battle for podcast dominance heated up a bit. Apple announced that its Podcasts app will start supporting video in addition to audio podcasts (see here). This likely isn’t enough to get me to switch back to Apple for podcasts, but it signals the importance of podcasts to Apple and how video is becoming a dominant part of the podcasting landscape.

I’m curious to see what other changes (if any) Apple makes to its Podcasts app. YouTube has shown how lucrative placing ads in videos can be, and I imagine Apple wants in on this revenue source—especially when you consider that they pretty much invented the podcast space.

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I use AI daily, and for most of 2025, I used ChatGPT as my main AI tool. This week, a friend asked me if I wanted some candid feedback. A look in the mirror, so to speak, with the reflection generated by AI’s understanding of me. I love getting candid, raw feedback, so I said yes.

They told me to run this prompt in ChatGPT: “Be blunt and honest with me and tell me what I need to change for 2026.”

Using the 5.2 model, I did. Even though ChatGPT doesn’t have full context about me because I don’t run everything I’m thinking or doing through the platform, it still gave me a thorough, thought-provoking response. It got me thinking, which I enjoyed.

If you’re a ChatGPT user and you’re curious about what it thinks you should change about yourself, run this prompt. It’s fun!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas!

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