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Reclaim Your Attention | Slow Tech Field Guides

AlphaSmart NEO2 Review: The $95 Distraction-Free Writer’s Deck

Posted on by Drew G. Rosen

I didn’t buy the AlphaSmart because I needed another keyboard. I bought it because I needed to stop editing sentences before I finished writing them.

Writing on a modern laptop is an exercise in self-defense. You are constantly fighting off notifications, email pings, and the urge to “just quickly check” a fact, which inevitably leads to a 20-minute deep plunge into the history of the spork.

I wanted a “Writer’s Deck”—a dedicated machine that does exactly one thing: captures words. Now that my short-story collection is out, I need all the focus I can get to complete my novel.

I stalked eBay for weeks, ignoring the beat-up units formerly used by school districts. I waited for an immaculate AlphaSmart NEO2 that looked untouched, complete with a fresh internal backup battery (important for memory storage) and a working USB cable. When one popped up for $95, I didn’t hesitate.

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Fujifilm FinePix Z90 Review: The $70 CCD Time Capsule

Posted on by Drew G. Rosen

I admit it. I fell down the rabbit hole.

I wasn’t just looking for a camera. I was hunting for the secret sauce that has made a recent comeback: the CCD sensor.

For the uninitiated, CCD sensors are the tech world’s equivalent of vinyl records. They render colors in a way that feels thick, warm, and distinctly not like a smartphone. But finding one in 2025 usually means buying a bulky brick that requires its own carrying case.

I didn’t want a project. I wanted something I could slide into my pocket or hang from my bag.

I stumbled onto the FinePix Z90 on eBay late one night. It was sitting in that awkward teenage phase of technology—released in 2011, right when cameras were desperately trying to be smartphones. It had a touchscreen. It had a sliding lens cover. It looked like a prop from a Y2K sci-fi movie that got the future slightly wrong.

I hit “Buy It Now” before I could talk myself out of it.

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