SIGG Traveller Alu .6L — Minimal Water Bottle by Adrian Galli

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No surprise that I dig SIGG water bottles. They are minimalist, aluminum, simply, and durable. 

Made in Sweden, the bottles are BPA-free bottle is extruded from a single piece of pure aluminium, no seams, highest stability with lowest weight, 100% recyclable, guaranteed to be taste-neutral and resistant to fruit acids and isotonic drinks according to an independent testing institute (Nehring, Germany), fulfills FDA requirements (Food & Drug Administration USA), elastic and unbreakable, and a coating that will not peel off, even if dented on the outside. That’s a lot to write but the moral of the story is that they are great bottles.

This particular one is a favorite. While many come in fancy patterns, various stamps, and decorative items attached, this is raw aluminum. Almost as if it were something from the military, the only printing on it is the SIGG logo and the Made in Sweden stamp.

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The raw aluminum look, however, is deceiving. There is a high gloss coating to protect the bottle—it is almost glass on the exterior giving it a pleasing touch but also a good grip.

The cap is designed to be used with a carabiner but also is perfect for a single finger. At .6L, it is perfect size for just about any backpack or bag. And the lip on the bottle opening is smooth an comfortable on against one’s lips.

While this is definitely an Adrian’s Gear post, it is also about design. Some water bottles might have more frills and such but as I will admit to every time, design is of utmost importance. SIGG brings something to the table that most water bottles don’t—looks. A lot are just too technical looking, over designed, trying-too-hard details and it turns me off. Sigg, like Apple, keeps it simple and that’s what I really love about it.

As the oceans fill up with trash from humans, I had a personal goal this year—a resolution to us less disposable materials. My EDC spork (Light My Fire), goes with me everywhere to reduce how many plastic forks and such I use. I try to avoid straws and plastic bags, and I keep some reusable produce bags on hand for when I head to the grocery story.

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On the other hand, plastic bottles are one of the most common trash items found in the ocean and I try my best to reduce my usage of such items. Carrying a water bottle is great and SIGG bottles last for a very long time. After they have lived out their usefulness, one can easily recycle.

Saving the planet and looking good doing it, if one wants a great water bottle, this is one I’d highly recommend. And if you do want something little more bold than raw aluminum, they come in dozens of colors: white, black, smokey pearl, turquoise, green, royal blue, etc. Check them out and pick one up.

Price: $18

Ray-Ban Aviator Flash Lenses — Gold, Green Flash by Adrian Galli

The problem is… I only have sunglasses I love so these too are a favorite pair. The green lenses remind me of the Emerald Coast, white sand beaches, and a cool breeze off the Gulf of Mexico while the hot sun beaming down on a summer day in July. Greens and Blues tend to be my favorite colors as is. I’ve actually had these for years and they are so cool.

I had never spent nearly $200 on a pair of sunglasses before but I had to have them and my favorite pair of Fossil sunglasses had gotten both scratched and the nose piece had fallen off never to be found. Time to upgrade.

The clerk at the Sunglass Hut was insistent. “You’ll take good care of these. You’ll have them forever because you invested extra money in them.” And he was right. Not only were they more expensive than their Fossil counterparts, they were better made. Glass lenses, more durable frames, a better warranty, and infinitely cooler. So I handed over my Amex and said, “let’s do it.”

Well, that ended well. Now I only spend a bunch of money on sunglasses. It’s a trap! But a good one. My motto is to spend good money on good things because they will likely last longer and, generally, are better. As a favorite TV judge always says, “lo barato sale caro.” The cheap comes out expensive.

My Fossil sunglasses did look cool but they were plastic lenses and cheaper frames. Not knocking them either. Until these Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses came along, they were my favorite pair. To be clear, if you’re looking to NOT spend a couple hundred dollars on sunglasses, I’d whole heartedly recommend Fossil.

But here I am with my Green Flash lenses and no regrets about spending the money.

The lenses are not only cool AF, they reproduce color well and have limited flare/glare in direct sunlight. Light weight, no pinching of the nose or squeezing at the temples, and easy to keep clean. They look good, feel good, and work well. Aces.

At $178, it is a bunch to spend but as the Sunglass Hut clerk said to me, I think once you have a pair like this (or more expensive), you’ll find you’ll take great care of them. These are now four years old and look as good as the day I bought them. Durability is key for something that is in you bag, in a pocket, cold weather, warm weather, sand, wind, water, etc. They’ve held up superbly.

Ray-Ban Aviator Flash Lenses comes a eleven colors so if the green isn’t for you, check out the Yellow Flash, another fave, red, blue, lilac, mirror (these are on my acquisition list too), and more.

Price: $178

Fifteen Years and Counting by Adrian Galli

Ten Year Apple

Ten Year Apple

On June 7th, 2003, I was hired by the most admired brand in the world, Apple. At the time we were called Apple Computer, Inc. There was no iPhone or iPad, iCloud was called .Mac, optical drives were still common place, and our stock was eight dollars and change.

We were the underdog. We were opening retail locations and being told we would be the next Gateway. Best Buy scoffed at iTunes Store. Michael Dell was telling Steve Jobs to give the stockholder’s money back. We were 'more than just a store.'

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It is hard to put into words what my journey with Apple has been. I have spent nearly half my life working alongside some of the most incredible people I’ll ever work with. And I have a historical perspective on the company and the technology industry that very few have or will ever have. If you want to criticize Apple for anything, you’re free to do so but if I’m around, you’re asking for a frank discussion about how you are likely very wrong.

Having tried to fit into a concise and fitting message, I couldn't do it. I would need a short book to say all that I want but I think I can give a glimpse into my story in my favorite way possible

I think one of my favorite ways to tell my story is:

Jaguar
Panther
Tiger
Leopard
Snow Leopard
Lion
Mountain Lion
Mavericks
Yosemite
Sierra
High Sierra
Mojave
Alpine
Big Bear
Kirkwood
Apex
Telluride
Sundance
Innsbruck
Okemo
Monarch
Whitetail
Tigris
Yukon
14 iPhones
16 iPads
36 iPods
14 Airport Basestations/Time Capsules
5 Apple TVs
4 Apple Watches
G3
G4
G5
Intel
A4
S1
W1
6 version of Final Cut Pro
Motion 1-5
Shake
Color
DVD Studio Pro
Aperture 1, 2, and 3
.Mac, MobileMe, iCloud
iTunes Music Store, iTunes Store, Apple Music
Beats by Dre
iLife
iWork
Apple Pencil
AirPods
AirPlay
HomePod
iPod Hi-Fi
iPod Socks
Studio Instructor, Creative, Programming Expert, North Michigan Avenue Historian, Video Creative
Retail Marketing Video Production
MLS 2014
Cupertino
Cooper
Genesis
Bristo
Apple Local Market
HDYWA?
In-store Core
Apple North Michigan Avenue
Apple Lincoln Park
Apple Pioneer Place
Apple Michigan Avenue
Caffé Macs Alves
Apple Pride, Apple Diversity, Reservation Pass
Chicago Community
I Am
North Michigan Avenue Family
Sport Pepper
GR 4
Studio Series
Genius Bar
iPod Bar
Mobile Bar
The Briefing Room
The Boardroom
The Malk
The Theater
The Studio
The Forum
Pizza
ProCare
One to One
Joint Venture
100% Renewable Energy
No surpises
5 down, 95 to go
More than just a store
Today at Apple
The Chicago Series
Teacher Tuesdays: Exclusive with Anthony Stirpe
An unknown number off iBooks, PowerBook, MacBooks, MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, Mac Minis, PowerMacs, eMacs, iMacs, iMac Pros, and Mac Pros
And a badge number so low, people think it is my zip code.

There are too many people to thanks during all of my time at Apple but if you're reading this, I hope you know who you are. Thank you for all your support, friendship, companionship, love, tears, some damn good arguments, and nerding out ever so wonderfully.

Rumor has it that fewer than 100 people can are at Apple today with the same number of years or more. I’m not sure where this journey ends but there is a lot of exciting things to come.

During an After School Matters visit to Apple North Michigan Avenue, I was asked by a student what Apple's benefits were like. I could not talk about the internal aspects of how we do things at that level but my response was, "the biggest benefit is who I get to work with every day." This teen wasn't impressed by my response but it is true and from the heart. To all my friends and colleagues, you're all amazing and I would never have been anywhere for fifteen years without you.

 
We’re just enthusiastic about what we do.
— Steve Jobs
 
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