My new employer provided me with a beast of a laptop… that runs on Windows 11. I’ve been using computers for 32 years, i’ve been writing about computers for half my life, and yet, i feel like a complete beginner. I’ve had to use Windows here and there over the years, but it clearly wasn’t enough to build any kind of muscle memory. I have to consider every click and scroll, because everything feels misplaced and illogical.
The same could be said about the job itself — i’m managing a creative team that builds learning and e-learning resources. I have to get familiar with a new commute and a new office, learn new faces and new names, grapple with new tools and new practices. Every single little thing is mentally taxing not because it’s hard, but because i have to think about it. As long as company culture isn’t second nature, i won’t be able to concentrate on the actual job.
It’s been a long time since i began anew, but i have a lot more experience under my belt. I need to build muscle quickly, that’s for sure, but i know that i also need to pace myself. I have to learn to walk before i can run, but believe me, i can’t wait to get there. I so missed learning new things. Even if some of them are how to use Windows 11.
Things
iMac M1. Apart from the screen size, what’s the difference between a 24-inch iMac and a 27-inch Studio Display? Both are computers powered by Apple Silicon. Both have Thunderbolt connectivity. Both have mediocre webcams and surprising speakers. Why, then, can’t i use my iMac as an external display now that i don’t need it as a computer anymore? Your guess is as good as mine. It’s not like Apple doesn’t know how to do this — older models had Target Display Mode. I shouldn’t have to throw away a perfectly good screen because i don’t need its computer parts, but here we are. So much for being “dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it”.
About the Z1NZ0L1N dispatch system
Z1NZ0L1N is a dispatch system operated by Anthony Nelzin-Santos, transmitting from the field since January 2025. This document describes the operator, the protocol’s naming convention, its transmission history, its field office, and how it’s funded.
Operator
Anthony Nelzin-Santos is a writer at heart, teacher by instinct, flâneur by habit. He’s known to wander in search of old shopfronts, to spend an inordinate amount of time curating his music library, to craft pocket notebooks with vintage roadmaps, to keep a collection of half-repaired typewriters and half-empty fountain pens, to wear jeans and hiking shoes all year round, to watch his plants grow, to roam around with the heaviest long-tail bike on the planet, and to acquire more books than can be read. He’s married to the only person willing to put up with all of it.
Naming convention
“Zinzolin” is a shade of purple between lavender-field blue and crushed-blackberry red. The medieval Italians traced it to jujube fruits (giuggiolino). The Mozarabs, were they still around to argue the point, would insist on sesame seeds (djoudjolân) instead. The operator chose it because it’s his favourite colour — partly because it sounds like his name.
Transmission history
The operator was born before the world wide web was invented, but grew up surrounded by computers. He launched his first website in 2000, started his first blog in 2004, recorded his first podcast in 2005, and uploaded his first video in 2006. He went pro in 2008. In 2025, after years spent transmitting in French, the frequency switched to English.
Field office
Z1NZ0L1N is hosted by Infomaniak near Geneva (CH). The operator is based in Lyon (FR) but has also sent dispatches from Aachen (DE), Antwerpen (BE), Besançon (FR), Bruxelles (BE), Liège (BE), Marseille (FR), Moulins-sur-Allier (FR), Paray-le-Monial (FR), Paris (FR), Schaerbeek (BE), Seyssins (FR), Utrecht (NL), and Vienne (FR). He’s made it a goal to visit and write in every country in the European Union (8 down, 19 to go!).
Funding
Z1NZ0L1N is proudly ad-free. The operator covers hosting and the domain name — roughly €120 a year — out of pocket. The best way to support his efforts is to subscribe to the RSS feed and share your favourite dispatches with your friends. That being said, if you ever feel like sending one, a cup of coffee is always welcome.
Colophon
Tools
Notebooks: handmade. Ink: purple, one of many. Pen: a fountain pen, often a Lamy Safari, also one of many. Backup: a Leuchtturm1917 Drehgriffel Nr. 1 ballpoint, a Uniball Zento Signature rollerball, or a Caran d’Ache 849 mechanical pencil. Notes when the notebook’s out of reach: Bloom. Computer: MacBook Air. Mechanical keyboard: more than one. Writing: Lettera, formerly Ulysses. Coding: BBEdit. Proofing: Antidote. Publication: Hugo.
Blogroll
Inspirations: Aegir, V.H. Belvadi, Ian Betteridge, Mandy Brown, But she’s a girl…, Frank Chimero, Simon Collison, Zinzy Waleson Geene, Josh Ginter, Chris Glass, Piper Haywood, Nick Heer, Jon Hicks, Alan Jacobs, Keenan, Winnie Lim, Tom MacWright, Louie Mantia, Craig Mod, Manuel Moreale, Riccardo Mori, Anders Norén, The Pen Addict, Kev Quirk, Robin Rendle, Melanie Richards, and Mateusz Urbanowicz. Suggestions: please.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.