Jae's Ramblings

Boards and Burnout: Surviving 2025 and Building a Better 2026 for Keyboards

This piece unpacks the comedown after the keyboard boom: brutal lessons from group buys, dead stock, shipping chaos and the race to the bottom. It then lays out Prototypist’s 2026 plan: tighter sto...

Jae’s Boxing Day Boxers Conundrum

On Boxing Day, faced with a drawer of dying pants, Jae dives into the weird world of “performance” men’s underwear. Through real‑life testing of Step One, Randies and Crossfly, this funny, honest p...

I'd take the heat death of the universe over Black Friday sometimes...

This piece tears into Black Friday from the perspective of a niche mechanical keyboard business, exposing thin margins, discount pressure and burnout. It argues for stepping off the hamster wheel i...

Cars: The Last Bastion of Selfish Commutes

This piece defends the solo car commute as the last honest refuge from shared everything – from grim public transport and Lycra-clad guilt trips to office emails and eco-performative pressure. It’s...

Obsolescence is the New Black: Why Mechanical Keyboards Are Still Kicking Arse

This rant dives into how mechanical keyboards have sidestepped planned obsolescence by embracing repairability, customisation and decades-old engineering that still slaps. From Hall Effect switches...

What the thock is up with the weather?

This post uses overheated keyboards and sweaty British summers to talk about climate change, collapsing infrastructure and fading wildlife. It lays out simple, urgent fixes – from ditching fossil f...

Keyboards and Coffee Events 2025

Update - 23rd October 2025Keyboards and coffee events on the 6th November and 13th November won't go ahead due to our Open Day & Meetup happening on the 8th November.Our final Dates for Keyboar...

Habitual Capitulation

This piece compares grand human rituals – cannibalism, religion and war – with the quiet, obsessive ceremonies of custom keyboards. It explores why testing switches, perfecting layouts and brewing ...

High Street R(sn)obbery

This post tears into the slow death of the UK high street, using Almost Famous in Leeds as a case study in unaffordable rents, broke customers and landlord greed. It’s a sweary, heartfelt shout abo...