What do you mean I'm supposed to just drive away?

Hi! I’ve missed you. 

It’s. Been. A. Month. 

My wife and I dropped our daughter off at college in downtown Phoenix and let me tell you — it’s harder than any Instagram Reel will lead you to believe. What do you mean I’m supposed to just drive away!? 

We’re adjusting and getting used to the new norm. She’s thriving, and I couldn’t be more proud. 

One thing I didn’t expect so soon after her starting classes was for her to be talking the same language as me when it comes to journalism and writing. On her first day of class I get a message asking if I know what a listicle is. Ha! Do I know what a listicle is!? Little does she know that listicles are what helped pay the bills for the last 18+ years. 

Last month I asked you guys what useless skill you have that you are proud of. I got three replies, each one equally entertaining.

One person can remember every movie they’ve ever seen with someone, another is very good (like very good) at painting baseboards at their house, and the third person bragged about two skills: percentages, conversions, and everyday math like estimating the cost of a tank of gas based on the fuel gauge, along with being able to perfectly cook frozen pizzas. 

As for me? I have this odd skill (quirk?) of being able to tell you what phone I was using when talking about specific memories. Phones and memories are forever linked in my brain, for better or worse. 

Alright, this month’s question: 

What is an oddly specific pet peeve you have that nobody else seems bothered by?

Click or tap reply and let’s talk about it! 

Pixels

There’s so much happening in the tech industry right now it’s almost paralyzing trying to decide what to cover. As you’ll see below, I had quite a bit of work published at various outlets over the last month, and not a whole lot of original writing for Pixels & Pizza. 

Truth be told, I’m still trying to figure all this out, nine months after launching the site and coming back to tech journalism. 

I have at least a dozen pitches out to publications and I’m just waiting to hear back. Some pitches are nearly a month old. It puts me in a tough spot.

Do I quit waiting for an answer and write the story here? What if the editor replies the next day that it’s approved? I like getting paid to write, even if it’s not often, but maybe I should just not care about that and write for myself — which was the original plan for this site all along.

Maybe it’s time to just drive away from waiting on editors and write what I want.

I’m frustrated and discouraged. Such is the life of a freelancer, I suppose.

Here's what I worked on this past month:

News and hot takes

• Apple accidentally included a video showing how to use the unreleased camera-equipped AirPods Pro in a recent OS update. I have questions.
• I lose stuff around my house almost every day. Apple AirTags and Find My have helped eliminate some of that, but what about the stuff that doesn’t have a tracker built into it? Android’s latest feature drop adds a feature I wish Apple would steal right now.
• I’ve spent a lot of time using Siri AI on all Apple betas this summer. And even though I struggled with its simplicity at first, I get it now — and it’s fantastic.

Reviews and features

• I reviewed Samsung’s Galaxy S26 for TechRadar. Great phone for not a lot of money.
• I also spent some time with Google’s Pixel 11 Pro line and reviewed both devices for TechRadar. First up was the 11 Pro, followed by the 11 Pro Max. I’m a huge Pixel fan, and even though this year’s crop feels more like a software update than meaningful hardware changes — I’m here for it.
• After my tested roundup of Wi-Fi routers for The Strategist a few months ago, I was tasked with spending more time with the top pick and writing up my experience. The results? It’s the top pick for a reason.

More tech

• I’ve gotten back into LoRa mesh networks after a brief hiatus. Right now I’m all in on MeshCore. I started building solar repeaters, and used that as a chance to design and publish my first 3D model.

Pizza

Pizza discussions, planning and overall conversation have seen a recent uptick around the house — much to my excitement. 

Jaime and I have been talking to and met with a local brewery about doing pizza pop-ups on their back patio. We’re currently waiting for a few things to line up, and once they do, we’ll be randomly serving there. More details to come as soon as I have them. 

As for 2027 and beyond, we’ve actively been approaching and talking to various local kitchens, restaurants and bakeries about using their space as a commissary kitchen. We want to get this item crossed off our task list before the 2027 season starts. 

Along with that pursuit, we’re anxiously waiting for the state of Colorado to release the new Cottage Food Act guidelines that incorporate the expansion of rules from what’s been lovingly dubbed the Tamale Act. 

The way I read it, we could prepare, bake and sell pizza from our home under the new law. Our current thinking is that we’d open online orders with pickup time slots a few days before service in order to control traffic in and out of our neighborhood, as well as let us know exactly how much prep we need to do. 

This very well may end up being what we do in 2027 as we continue to navigate being parents of three super busy kids. 

Nonetheless, we’re looking into all possibilities to get back out, selling pizza and creating a community. 

I, personally, can’t wait. 

Don't forget to hit reply and tell me about your pet peeve. 

I appreciate you, 

Jason