Den's Blog

Pulsar X2 CrazyLight

2025-05-29T13:01:04.002Z

Why Even Use a Mouse

I work as a designer, and for me, a mouse is an essential and irreplaceable tool. When I go to the office, of course, I just take my MacBook and work on its excellent trackpad, but I can physically feel how much lower my productivity is in that case. It’s easier for me to precisely target the tiniest pixel-sized elements with a mouse. You can do that with a trackpad too, but aiming takes more time and requires a higher level of accuracy from me. Besides that, I play games on my PC, and in games, you simply can’t do without a mouse.

What I Want in a Mouse

I like my mice simple. The fewer bells and whistles a mouse has, the better for me. Over many, many years of using computers, I’ve tried a bunch of different mice, including the beloved Logitech MX2 and MX3, G305, G Pro Wireless, Magic Mouse 1 and 2, Razer Orochi v2, and some others I can’t even remember anymore.

Here’s what matters to me:

Wireless. Bluetooth is okay, works fine for daily tasks. But I prefer a radio dongle. Even though I’m not an esports player, modern wireless protocols allow mice to operate with a delay of 1 ms or less, which feels really nice.
DPI control. I feel comfortable around 1600 dpi. Ideally, this should be adjustable via a button on the mouse itself or through software that doesn’t cling to the OS like a parasite (looking at you, Razer and Logitech).
Buttons sanity. 2 main buttons (left and right), a clickable scroll wheel (for opening links in new tabs), and 2 side buttons (back and forward in the browser, or item scrolling in game inventories). If a mouse has more than that — it’s already too much for me.
Modest design. I can’t stand “gamer” design in anything — chairs, monitors, computer hardware, keyboards, or mice. The more modest and unremarkable a daily work tool is, the better.
Lightweight. There’s a current trend in modern mice to make them as light as engineeringly possible. This is especially important for esports players, who play at very low sensitivity and swing their arms like crazy (which actually improves aiming precision). But I’ve found that a more lightweight mouse is more comfortable for daily use as well, and now I dislike heavy ones. Manufacturers are now using special plastic compounds, minimizing internal components, using smaller batteries, and even cutting holes into the mouse body to make them lighter.

Many Magic Mouse haters forget that this controversial mouse has one very cool feature: its top surface is a touchpad. By sliding your finger across it, you can perform various gestures in the OS and browsers. It also only has one button, but depending on whether you click on the left or right side, it registers as left or right click accordingly. Left-right swipes move you forward and backward, and vertical swipes scroll pages — with inertia and pixel precision like Apple’s trackpads. That’s where the Magic Mouse’s perks end: it’s uncomfortable (too flat), heavy, drains battery quickly, and has a charging port in a ridiculous location, making it unusable while charging.

So until recently, I used the Logitech G305 for work and the G Pro Wireless for gaming. But I liked the inertia scroll on the Magic Mouse, so I installed a program called MacMouseFix, which adds inertia scrolling to any mouse (and lets you remap buttons however you like).

A New Member in the Family

My G305 broke, and I started researching what’s currently considered the coolest. After watching several hours of YouTube reviews, I settled on the Pulsar X2 CrazyLight. It’s a relatively new Korean brand that makes some of the most high-performing — yet not the most expensive — mice right now. They’re not perfect (nothing is), but very solid.

Pulsar X2 CrazyLight Specs

Just the right number of buttons
Claimed weight 35 g (mine is 37.4 g with large skate pads)
Works via radio dongle up to 8K Hz refresh rate
Modest design

The mouse finally arrived yesterday, and I’ve already tested it in both work and games. It’s now my favorite mouse ever. It's very comfortable because of more concaved surfaces for your index and middle fingers. The lightness of this mouse is mind-blowing. It feels like you’re holding an empty shell — it’s that weightless. My G Pro Wireless weighs 80.2g (with bottom cover), and the Razer Orochi v2 is 89.2g (with one AA battery). After watching Ali Sayed’s video about mouse refresh rates, I set my X2 CrazyLight to 2000 Hz, set the sensitivity to 1600 dpi, and now I’m enjoying it to the fullest.

The Cost

Yes, I’m one of those people for whom spending €130 on a computer mouse is no big deal. I’m fine with it for one simple reason: I use this tool so much that I care more about it being reliable and high-performing than cheap. The Pulsar X2 CrazyLight is my strong recommendation if you’re looking for the same.

Alan Wake 2

2023-12-23T21:15:21.215Z

I would call Alan Wake 2 a “Game of the Year 2023” for myself personally. There is everything I love about computer games in it: horror genre, nice story, catching gameplay, stunning and near-photorealistic graphics, Stephen King's novels vibe, and old familiar characters I like. I think Remedy did an absolutely fantastic job here.

Starfield

2023-12-23T17:34:34.689Z

I didn't expect Starfield to be as good as Bethesda promised it to be, but I also didn't expect to like it much more than an average gamer in Steam reviews. I enjoyed its “NASA-punk” æstetics, some quests for different fractions, and classic Bethesda-style RPG system. The game has let me feel somewhat free in its fictional futuristic world of space travels and I managed to have some fun while playing it. That's already good enough for me.

I guess even in far future smart watches still work on Android

I always like whiteboard scribbles in computer games

Oedipus Brewery

2023-07-15T10:38:08.089Z

Once in a while I visit Letterspace meetups in Amsterdam where type designers give talks about their works. This time, July 12 2023, the meetup was at Oedipus Brewery, and the creative director of Oedipus (or, “head of color”) Victor Brangolo told us how he created a unique typeface for using it for beer labels and brewery's promo materials. I took some pics inside the brewery itself and its surroundings. Big thanks to organizers of the event!

I am sorry for the quality of my shots. I am still learning to use my new camera Sigma fp L and Sigma 28–70mm f/2.8 lens.

A road to the brewery

Sometimes window peeping rewards you

Bike pump station called “Pompstation” hiding in the shadows

EA-sponsored (?) football club arena next to the brewery

Beautiful van, beautiful typography

Next to a counter inside the brewery

“Mannen liefde” means “Men's love” (both doors are called after their beer)

Interiors

Interor details

The beer

Interior

Artworks of their creative director Victor Brangolo

Visitors enjoying their quality time

The Beef Chief kitchen at the brewery

Victor Brangolo of Oedipus Brewing and Edgar Walthert of Letterspace Studio

Beautiful building next to the brewery

Thanks for reading!

Apple Vision Pro

2023-06-06T00:31:21.228Z

During WWDC 2023 keynote, Apple presented its brand new device in an entirely new market for the company — the AR-headset called “Apple Vision Pro”. That presentation was the most mind-blowing for me since so long ago and at some moments even gave me goosebumps. In this article I'll try to explain why I am so excited about Vision Pro.

Vision Pro will be an AR-headset. The company is focusing on mixing virtual environment with the real one, yet allowing you to submerge into the pure virtuality. I was very happy to see Apple's implementation of AR for several reasons:

Apple is already leading at wearable electronics market with their AirPods and Apple Watches, they've created the most advanced technologies in space tracking, 3D audio, biometric scanning (TouchID and FaceID), field-of-view scanning, etc. They are fully capable not just to enter XR market, but also to become a leader in it.
AR implementation of Apple is not through transparent glass (hi HoloLens), but through cameras and displays, which means, fully-VR experience will still be possible in Vision Pro. Seeing some of tech specs of Vision Pro, I have no doubts they will nail it: more than 4K displays per eye, see-through with no visible pixels, glass Zeiss lenses, advanced eye tracking for precise cursor positioning, iris scanning for security, hand gestures recognition, hand tracking, spacial audio, virtual avatars that don't suck, casting 4K screen from your Mac, the power of the M2 chip…
Apple is entering a completely new market for them. That means, it's a very important step, and they will do everything to attract developers' attention to the platform. With the power of third-party software, Apple will give the whole industry a kick-start for a new, this time real VR era. And who knows, maybe even metaverse.

When I've first seen Vision Pro during the keynote, I noticed the uncanny-valley effect of these funny and goofy faces visible through the headset. But the next second I realised the headset is not transparent, but it's an external display that shows your face to other people around you. And it actually does it not that bad because it almost convinces you Vision Pro is transparent. Apple decided to create an illusion of transparency. The AR experience is already transparent for you, but how to make it transparent for others, too? People around you need to see your face. They idea is so simple yet brilliant! You can quickly communicate your colleagues and family without taking Vision Pro off your head.

If I remember it correctly, VR headsets were born in 80s or so, much earlier than most people think. The problem was (besides graphics performance) the high costs of manufacturing. Making glass lenses for headsets was expensive af. Coming up with an idea of using flat plastic Fresnel lenses, the Oculus company gave a kick-start to the whole industry. After that, it became possible for different manufacturers to create more and more cheap headsets.

Now, Apple is collaborating with Zeiss to make glass lenses again. Meaning, those lenses will have much better physical qualities than plastic Fresnel or pancake ones, beautifully distorting crazy high-resolution displays of Vision Pro with unprecedent optical precision.

As said during the keynote, Apple already revolutionized markets before. They made graphical interfaces a common thing for masses and introduced the “mouse” to us with the first Macintosh, invented snappy and responsive capacitive Click Wheel in iPods, mind-blowing multi-touch gestures in iPhones (remember how in awe people were during the presentation of 2007 when Steve Jobs zoomed-in a photo with two fingers?), created the best and the fastest biometric scanners (TouchID and then FaceID). They are saying now that they are about to amaze us again with Vision Pro's natural gesture tracking and virtual interface interactions. And this time I believe them.

High-resolution see-through AR system will allow you to work in VR and stay in your real environment at the same time. There will be no problem anymore to use literally any keyboard, mouse, or trackpad while casting pro-grade software from your Mac into your Vision Pro. It will replace any of your monitor setups which for me personally sounds just amazing.

Some people are laughing at Vision Pro's external battery and its capacity. Yes, it's just 2 hours, but it should be enough to watch most of movies, play a game, or hop on a FaceTime with your friends or colleagues. The move with making the battery external is clever because it allowed Apple to make the headset lighter. It means, after you come back home, your can plug in a cord and wear it for even more hours on your head with less fatigue. I guess that's why Vision Pro doesn't have an additional strap on top. It's so lightweight it doesn't need it.

These are my first impressions of Vision Pro. We are going to learn more about the headset in coming months and many new details will be revealed soon, but for me personally, it's already impressive enough to pay the high (starting) price of 3,5 grands.

I think, after this year's WWDC keynote I regained my geeky love for gadgets and technology. What an exciting time to be alive!

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

2023-01-19T19:03:13.096Z

Kingdom Come: Deliverance was released in 2018 by Czech developer company Warhorse. I liked that game back then but for some reason, I haven't completed it. 5 years later, in the beginning of 2023, I did it and I got a lot of joy while doing it.

The game focuses on realistic medieval and historical events that make the 15th century of Europe come to life. The game takes place in the Kingdom of Bohemia, part of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the modern-day Czech Republic. It is set in an open-world environment and uses a classless system. You play as Henry, a peasant son of a well-known blacksmith who undertakes a journey of revenge, and you're able to customize his abilities to create a character that fits closer to your preferred gameplay style. Skills and progress will depend on the choices players make during the branched dialog trees. The game features non-linear storytelling, advanced reputation and law system, skill-based mini-games, large scale battles, and sieges. A living and breathing world with emergent gameplay, sophisticated, well made, complex, and challenging combat mechanics and character as well as clothing customization.

↑ Fandom.com

Screenshots look super wide-screen just because most of them were taken during cut-scenes. I've cropped black parts off from those and also from the rest for consistency.

Forests in this game are fantastic

Planes are very nice, too

This horse is so beautiful. It's a shame that it's not mine

End titles accompanied by czech metal song? Hell yes.

Thank you!

My 2022

2023-01-15T22:08:33.391Z

2022 was a hurricane of events. This post is about some of those events in my life in pictures made by me.

In the beginning of the year, I left my hometown Novosibirsk, got a dutch visa in Moscow and took a flight to Amsterdam.

Tolmachevo airport in Novosibirsk

In the center of Moscow

The last picture I took in Russia

On February 11, I moved to live and work in the Netherlands. After staying here just for 6 months, Amsterdam already felt like my home. Now I live in a beautiful apartment next to a lake where I can see swans and ducks every day. I already know all my neighbours and I complain about heating prices like a real Dutch.

My neighborhood in Amsterdam

My beautiful friends

On February 27, protested in the center of Amsterdam against the war in Ukraine.

Anti-war protest at Dam Plein, Amsterdam

Somewhere in the center of Amsterdam

On March 1, I started working in a very traditional dutch company de Bijenkorf. It's a very well-known department store across the EU. Besides a website, the company also has apps — which I design.

De Bijenkorf store roof in Amsterdam

De Bijenkorf store in Utrecht

On April 1, I've became a happy owner of an electric bike Vanmoof that I dreamed about for many years. Biked to 6 nearby cities around Amsterdam last summer and will bike to many more the next season.

Vanmoof S3

Vanmoof store and repair shop

On a road to Amsterdam Bos

After my russian vaccine, I also have been vaccinated with Pfizer.

In 2022, I traveled just twice. The first time was a trip to Turkiye to see my parents.

Antalia, Turkiye

I've already discovered and keep finding a lot of nice places in Amsterdam.

Oudeschans, Amsterdam

The center of Amsterdam

Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam

Zuidwest, Amsterdam

During 2022, I've released 36 episodes of my podcast Showroom. It could be more, but we've switched to bi-weekly schedule. Sent a lot of postcards to our patrons, and met 2 listeners in real life in Amsterdam.

My podcasting studio during last summer

Listener Sveta from Denmark

Previously, I didn't have any plants in my apartments, but now I have 5, including a banana plant and a succulent (and excluding a Christmas tree now).

One of my plants

On time of this post, I've learned Dutch for 380 days straight. Yes, using Duolingo. Next year I will take a real course with a teacher. I plan to stay here and naturalise eventually. To do that, I need to live here for 4 more years and pass some exams including a Dutch language test (for 2023, the requirement for language level stays pretty low, just A2).

Some of my 2022 achievements in Duolingo

On July 16, I received my Panic's Playdate console that I waited for a couple years.

Playdate

On September 21, attended a concert of Poets of the Fall and met my friend Ollie Tukiainen who is a lead guitar in that band.

Ollie and me playing solo from “Rogue” on air guitars

On November 8, attended a concert of Lil Nas X. It was a blast!

Before Lil Nas X's “Montero Tour” concert in Bijlmer Arena

For the first time in my life I've dyed my hair. Tried silver/white. I was surprised by how good it went! Next time I will try something more colorful.

Me with my new blond hair

At the end of the year, on December 16, I took a flight to Oslo, Norway. I have never been there before and really enjoyed the city and especially a trip to fjørds.

Oslo, Norway

A lot of other different things have happened in 2022. Some of them I prefer to keep private, unless I post it here, in my blog. You can read previous posts that I made about my life in the Netherlands, subscribe to my Instagram where sometimes I post stories, follow me in Twitter or Mastodon, and subscribe to my Telegram channel.

Thank you!

Podcasting Gear

2022-12-26T02:33:24.172Z

Today doesn't mark any special date since I started my podcast, but it's been several years and sometimes I still get questions about how exactly I do it. Through years, I've tried a lot of audio equipment and different setups, and the last ≈5 years I use the same set of gear I'm happy with to the level I don't want to change anything in it. In this post I'd like to share what I use and what's my podcast workflow.

Microphone

After I switched to Shure SM7B, I've built the rest of my setup around it. Yes, it is a difficult mic, but the quality of spoken word recordings it gives is outstanding. It's difficult because you need to know how to properly power SM7B, it's hard to find an interface with an amplifier strong enough (tbh, situation on market gets better), but more about it later. I use SM7B with the default hardware settings, with no high-pass or anything, and with the default (smaller) foam pop-filter. In other words, I use it as it comes from the box. The quality of my voice recording is better than in the most of other podcasts. This mic is also well-built and I hope that I will be able to use it for many more years.

Shure SM7B

Shure SM7B website

Shure SM7B, $360 on Amazon

If you want to start with something more affordable, with similar qualities, and less tricky, I'd recommend Shure MV7. This mic is USB (and XLR), so you can use it without an audio interface at all.

Shure MV7

Shure MV7 website

Shure MV7, $224 on Amazon

Mic Stand

Previously, I used Røde PSA-1 boom arm, it was bulky and with an overcomplicated mechanism for my needs. Then, I switched to Blue Compass boom arm which looks nicer because it hides the cable inside, but it was still a complicated solution for recordings in front of a display. Finally, I switched to Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP which has no big flexibility but due to its Low Profile, works perfectly for both podcasting sessions and work calls… and it hides the cable, too.

Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP

Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP website

Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP, $90 on Amazon

Due to specifics of my mic, I also use Shure A26X extender-adapter, but you can find cheaper alternatives on Amazon.

Headphones

Previously, I recorded podcast episodes in headphones and then edited while listening to monitor speakers Yamaha HS5s. But after I moved to the Netherlands, I use my Aiaiai TMA-2 Studio Young Guru headphones exclusively. These monitor-quality closed-back headphones with perfect sound are the most comfortable ones that I've ever used, but they're made of self-degrading plastic that becomes sticky and dirty which I hate. I had two pairs, the older one I used for about 4 years is completely… gone. Aiaiai claims that the plastic they use is more eco-friendly, but in fact it makes their headphones less sustainable because instead of using the same pair for 20–25 years you'll need to buy a new pair every 3–5 years. But the headphones are fantastic. They are modular, with interchangeable everything: headband, cable, cushions, and even cups with drivers. I also have an Aiaiai headband that makes TMA-2 wireless, but… AirPods, you know. I hope my TMA-2 will never break because working with audio recordings and listening to music using it is just pure pleasure.

Aiaiai TMA-2 Studio Young Guru

Aiaiai TMA-2 Studio website

Aiaiai TMA-2 Studio, $230 on Amazon

Audio Interface

I connect my mic and headphones into Sound Devices USBPre2 audio interface. It's known for its low noise-floor and professional field use cases. Here Bandrew Scott explains why low noise-floor interfaces are important:

Podcastage: Does Preamp Noise Really Matter?

Besides the exceptional sound it gives, USBPre2 is also powered by USB, is very compact and sturdy, can power two hungry mics like mine at the same time, and doesn't need any additional software or drivers.

Sound Devices USBPre2

Sound Devices USBPre2 website

I am very happy with this audio interface despite its two downsides. Previously, we recorded episodes IRL and sometimes with IRL guests. It was a problem. We needed one more audio interface to connect the third mic, because USBPre2 has only 2 XLRs for mics. But nowadays, everything is recorded via video calls, so it is not a problem anymore. Another downside is the way I use computers. I have two computers and I want to use both at the same time with a single audio interface using a KVM switch or something like that. I haven't found a solution to that. I was thinking one time to switch to Arturia AudioFuse 8 Pre for two reasons: 1) it has 8 mic preamps that are able to power SM7B, 2) I'm not sure but I think it's possible to use it with 2 computers at the same time. But I'm still thinking.

Arturia AudioFuse 8 Pre

Arturia AudioFuse 8 Pre website

Mic Switch

My mic is connected to my audio interface through Rolls MS-111 mic switch. It's a metal box with a button that mutes your sound when pressed. So my coughs or farts don't add extra work on editing stage. As a bonus, you can appear not muted on work calls while actually being muted. This mic switch model is deprecated, Rolls has released an updated version.

Rolls MS-111

Rolls MS-111 Mic Switch website

Rolls MM-11 Pro, $59 on Amazon

Webcam

Since we record a podcast remotely via video calls, I needed a webcam for my desktop setup (my MacBook is connected to an external display). The best solution both in picture quality and cost is the app Camo that turned my old iPhone 7 to a beautiful web camera.

Camo app in my previous setup

Reincubate Camo website

DAW

I upgraded to Apple's Logic Pro X after using GarageBand for several years, it covers my every need beautifully. I made myself a special podcast template with no unnecessary interface elements but with set-up tracks, included jingles, and following plugins:

iZotope RX 9 Voice De-noise for cleaning on voice tracks
iZotope Ozone 9 for compression and coloration on voice tracks
Built-in Limiter on master track

My template in Apple Logic Pro X

One day I want to switch to Ableton Live, but I don't know it good enough yet to achieve a desired editing speed, I need some more training.

The Flow

Usually, we release new episodes bi-weekly. One week to collect topics and to record, another week to edit and publish. Here are the steps:

We collect topics and links in a shared note in Apple's Notes app
We call via Zoom, both hosts record their audio tracks separately in Logic Pro X
My co-host sends me his file using cloud storage, I put his track in my template project
I edit every track at the same time while listening to a recorded episode, remove silence and unnecessary sounds, mark podcast chapters, and sometimes add other audio samples
I export an episode in WAV format, put corresponding links to podcast chapters in Marco's Forecast app, export an episode in MP3 format, export podcast chapter titles and timings to use it in shownotes
I publish an episode to a podcast hosting service and YouTube, post about it in social media and in the podcast group chat

If you're interested in any stage of my workflow or gear I use, don't hesitate to ask, and I will add more info to this article. Thank you!

Casual Birder

2022-07-17T13:17:44.234Z

Прошёл одну из первых двух игр 1 сезона Playdate — монохромной карманной игровой консоли компании Panic, которую они сделали в коллаборации с Teenage Engineering.

Casual Birder — квест, в котором нужно помочь главному герою победить на конкурсе орнитологической фотографии, попутно помогая другим персонажам маленького приморского городка.

Игра проходится примерно за пару часов, я играл неспеша по 10–15 минут несколько раз в день в течение пары дней. Подробнее о самой консоли, об этой и других играх рассказал в подкасте «Шоурум», послушайте.

Ниже 19 монохромных скриншотов разрешением 400х240 со спойлерами.

Встреча с главным злодеем

Удивительно, но эту группу пикселей и правда можно прочитать, если прищуриться. А ещё можно прочитать другие ультра-мелкие надписи по ходу игры. Всё сделано с заботой и вниманием к деталям.

Пасхалка: тот самый гусь из игры Untitled Goose Game, которую также издала компания Panic.

Пришлось потревожить эту интимную фотосессию в жанре аутдорс.

Каждый раз, пробуя кофе, главный герой делится впечатлениями.

Этот персонаж похож и внешне, и именем на CEO компании Panic Кейбела Сассера. Похоже, что это ещё одна пасхалка разработчика.

Все персонажи в сборе перед оглашением итогов конкурса.

Эта история нас кое-чему научила.

Неожиданный финальный твист.

Спасибо за внимание!

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

2022-06-14T22:15:01.835Z

Игра-кино, которая, тем не менее, приятно удивила меня дизайном монстров и окружения. Из неё узнал про некоторых персонажей, которые фигурировали в комиксах, но не были показаны в фильмах. С непривычки иная внешность персонажей сначала оттолкнула, но к концу игры понравилась даже больше, чем в кино. В игре больше времени уделяется раскрытию персонажей, поэтому сильнее проникаешься к ним симпатией. Ниже 203 скриншота, спойлерящих всё.

Отсылка к потрясному постеру «Зубастиков» (посмотрите оригинальный постер, шедевр)

Спасибо за внимание!