Naz Hamid
Naz Hamid
Naz Hamid
Hi. Thanks for visiting. I’m Naz Hamid. This is my personal site where I explore art, craft, design, and technology in the digital and physical world.
Latest Posts
I didn't upgrade my iPhone last year. And I'm not doing it this year. My iPhone 14 Pro is paid off. I've been on the iPhone Upgrade Program since it debuted but decided to skip last year's 15. This year's 16, while initially tempting in...
Making core memories with my mama, on the annual visit. Jen and I recently returned from our annual visit to see my family in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Taking photos with the family has become even more important as the years go by, and...
Getting into a Waymo driverless car for the very first time. There’s a visceral reaction when the idea of an autonomous car is brought up. “No way!” “I don’t trust robots.” “How can that even be safe?” These are commonplace in the...
Reflections on the role of smart devices in our lives. My phone doesn't follow me everywhere. It occupies the last place I left it. This happens when I leave to go for a run, sometimes when I run errands, and often hours go by without...
Music gives me the feels. Stone Temple Pilots’ “Kitchenware & Candybars” comes on, and suddenly I'm 17 again, driving underneath the amber glow of late-night deserted streets in Kuala Lumpur. I can feel the sharp air conditioning in the...
Rolling my own low-brow and lo-fi system for saving web bookmarks. Recently, I discovered that the creator of Pinboard posted transphobic views from that account on (RIP) Twitter. This is disappointing, and a little digging revealed that...
Revisiting a changed Seattle 17 years later. The heat was rising in Northern California and Oregon with the advent of an appropriately named heat dome raising temperatures into the triple digits. Jen and I found ourselves driving further...
Flipping perspectives courtesy of Trevor Noah. Trevor Noah is a funny, funny person. He's sharp. And during November-December 2023, he was doing a two-week stint in San Francisco on his most recent tour, Off the Record[1]. Jen and I...
Managing project management tools is not what we signed up for. A few weeks ago, a timely project at work rallied almost everyone to be “all hands on deck.” My immediate team uses Slack, having transitioned away from another longstanding...
A rundown of my first ever trail running race. Two years ago, I broke my elbow. A year ago, I put cycling on hold due to discomfort on the bike and soon after started running as a cardio and endurance-based complement to my longstanding...
Thoughts, observations, and new ways of approaching life a year later. Thoughts, observations, and new ways of approaching life that have been percolating since my last birthday: Owning a personal digital space is more important than...
Identifying where and how you get what you give. I had just turned 40. I was feeling increasingly stagnant at VSCO and recognized the need for a change. I began discussions with leadership about my desire for greater involvement. It was...
Looking back? And looking forward. End-of-year recaps and reviews haven't been something I do. Generally, my mindset is about embracing the present, with a gentle forward momentum towards what comes next. Years ago, I heard an Imam once...
The story of how I started training for a 50K ultramarathon. I am awakened by the sound of people shuffling by our camp. When I look out the side past the flap of our rooftop tent, I can see what appears to be runners or hikers. I get...
The disconnection forced by algorithms. In the beginning, you followed someone to see their content in your feed. Now, you block someone to remove them from your feed. That’s the price of an endless algorithmic feed designed to keep you...