A recurring pattern, documented for the record.

I ordered a Flipper Zero in September 2023. It’s a small open-source multi-tool for wireless protocols — infrared, RFID, Bluetooth, NFC, radio. I’d wanted one for years.

I used it occasionally. Then I put it in a drawer.

This is the gadget acquisition cycle, documented for approximately the twentieth time in my journals:

  1. Identify interesting device.
  2. Research it extensively.
  3. Order it.
  4. Receive it with great enthusiasm.
  5. Use it intensively for several weeks.
  6. Use it occasionally for several months.
  7. Put it in a drawer.
  8. Find it years later and either use it again briefly or donate it.

The cycle is self-aware at this point. I know it’s happening while it’s happening. The Flipper Zero purchase was preceded by a meditation in my journal about how I tend to acquire tech and abandon it. I bought it anyway.

The honest explanation: the acquisition is pleasant in itself. The research and the wait and the unboxing are enjoyable, separate from whether the device turns out to be useful. This is not ideal behavior, but it’s consistent and it makes me happy, and the devices are mostly not that expensive.

I also ordered a Baofeng radio and an SDR — software-defined radio receiver — around the same time. Both are in a drawer.