Well, you want a new computer, and you've said you wanna stick with macOS, so I'm not sure that there's much need to go beyond that. You have your one option for a new computer, which you seem to mostly like. *shrug*

Me, if I had one of these, I'd immediately sell it and buy two or three gently-used previous generation Macbooks. Why? Personal sense of value. With the exception of the "giving-a-shit-is-optional" touch bar — which I do think is a pretty neat idea for a control surface — there's no whizz-bang "future" shit on this computer that I actually want more than I want the "past" features that I can't have with it, but would easily get with any of the cheap last-gen Macbooks on eBay. Not to mention that those are Macbooks which I would find completely satisfying to my needs — they're fucking excellent laptops, they're all fucking excellent laptops, it's not 1997 — and which happen to come featured with other pleasantly-familiar eighteenth century technology, like ports for peripherals I already own, and a robust, low-profile magnetic power cable instead of a thin flap of metal. And, I repeat: two or three of 'em. Render nodes, servers, what have you.

There's just so much more you can do with that amount of money, shopping for a computer. This new Macbook strikes me as being the least you could do with it.

But also I'm an idiot.

I like that design in general. My only thought is that I probably wouldn't go with the quote at the bottom.

Overall, I ended up grading you on a curve more and more as the album went on, but that's mostly because it seemed less and less like a small personal project and more and more like a "real album," as in, someone told me to listen to this. So take these all in the most generous possible spirit, because they're more like the critiques I would have of a song on the radio than critiques I'd give a buddy. Seriously, just impressive as hell, can't wait for the follow up.

Pins and Needles: Fun, poppy, dig it. A tad repetitive, but it suits the song in kind of a "Stuck in the Middle With You" kind of way.

When Is The Next Us: *squints* You guys might be The Rolling Underground. Was that a band? Anyway, this is also fun and poppy and I also dig it. Also has the repetitive thing; you guys might consider adding a part to these that isn't moving in lockstep with the rest of it. More bass movement would help, maybe.

Save Me: This is really fun. I want to hear the guitars a lot more in the non-synth bits of the song, but that's just me. This is almost new wave; could almost be a TMBG or Berlin tune. Thumbs up.

Nashville: This melody is killin' it. I like the atmosphere as the song opens up, too. I also like the harmony thing you do with the vocals on these, it gives everything a nice Beatles-y vibe. Slick. (Towards the end, I almost expect musical record scratches. That's an oddly 'Linkin Park' instinct to feel in a cool trip-hoppy Beatles-ish tune.)

The Edge: First fifteen seconds seem really promising, as a single... minute in, opinion is the same, waiting for the change... 1:20... want it now. Ah. Alright, more buildup. Maybe not a single, then; was hoping for a big release right there. (Drums break in, 'switch to pre-chorus'-type moment.) Aw, and then it's over! This one should have a part II sometime later. Cool everything, but I can't help really wanting it to go somewhere for all that buildup. I really like the design of the sounds as the song ends, though; not that it ends, but what it sounds like when it does. That's a really cool moment.

Sweet Dreams:

Lies: Dang, this starts strong. These all start really strong. (Not to say that they taper off later, just that I like the way you get into songs.) This one reminds me a bit of "I Can See For Miles and Miles and Miles," which is a good place to be.

My Fortune: I started grinning the second this song started. These really do start strong. Yeah, this is also solid. One thing that I wish I were feeling a bit more through these is the beat; the actual percussion parts all sound about right, I just want a bit more of a spine back there for some of the mushier moments. Thumps and thwacks.

Friday Night: Sounds great. As a minor illustrative tangent, imagine halfway through this a sudden huge drum fill into 4/4, and that then the song is just off to the races. That's the sort of moment I keep waiting for in these. Not that I actually have any expertise; just that that's what I feel is being cued up but never quite happening.

I Don't Know: I'm coming up on an overall-opinion on the record, which is... lots of tension, not enough release. (He said like you should give any portion of a shit about his opinion.) I think I'd really love this song if it was an unusually sus-heavy standout on the record, but since there's plenty of "leaning on a droning whole note"-type of arrangements in here, it gets a bit lost in the shuffle. That's unfortunate, because I think I like it as a song more than I like it on the album.

Spaces: Maybe the vocals are a bit forward; if these felt a bit "swirlier in the background," the song might have a different vibe for me; as it is, it's frankly kind of grating to hear that same one note right up next to my face for two minutes. It also doesn't benefit from the back-to-back lineup with another song where things are a bit on the drone-y side, with I Don't Know.

This is very cool; I like where you are and where it's all goin.' My thoughts for what might make me like it more (which, note, has rarely meant 'anyone else will like it at all,' so) include: 1) maybe more counterpoint movement in the arrangements; bass movement could do it, or a more omni-present mid-high synth part, or something, just to help shake the songs out of that "sometimes these seem like a loop" vibe. When it feels like a song is a train married to its rails, interest/tension/release takes a hit. 2) an even-tighter rhythm section may give these songs some angularity that they might benefit from; by which I mean more-present drums and a bass part that's trying to impress a prom date. 3) no third thing. This album is impressive as hell. Well done.

I am so psyched to talk about this. I can't tonight, but hell yes.

You could read "The Martian." (Most of the specifics don't make it into the movie, naturally.) The miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" is chock full of good stuff, but it might be less futuristic than you're hoping for. ("Can We Do This?", "Apollo One," "We Have Cleared the Tower," "Spider," and "That's All There Is," especially. These are episodes I specifically recall include some amount of technical space stuff.)

I'll bet someone's written an outstanding anthology of space-related accidents and emergencies.

When I lived in Florida, my girlfriend at the time lived in a place called Satellite Beach, which is just a few miles south of Cape Canaveral. Whenever I'd go visit her, I'd take the long way home (already a long drive to and from Orlando, which is dead-center between the coasts) and drive past the VAB just to see it.

This anecdote doesn't really connect to anything, just sumthin' I think about when Canaveral comes up.

Also, Canaveral is extracted from "caña veral," basically "cane field;" sugar cane used to grow there.

Sure, I watched it. Sure, fullscreen. Sure, when you held the camera over the edge of the basket, I yelled.

Prometheus is right.