I've got a Pico 2 (2035) playing mono 22kHz MP3 using built-in 12-bit PWM, sounds pretty good. This would probably work on the 2040. However, as this is C code I'm not sure if this ports to MicroPython easily.
My mother-in-law couldn't get her old Word docs to format correctly on her new laptop (Win11 + MS Office365). Rather than fiddle around trying various settings I installed LibreOffice and with it her docs rendered correctly. Made her happy. Libre Writer reminds me of Word2000, which means I don't waste time learning new ways to perform mundane writing tasks.
Wiki Santa Ana winds. They typically bring <10% humidity as they blow towards the pacific ocean. This can happen overnight and you'll wake up with "raisin-eyes".
In many Japanese companies entry level engineers were required to work on a factory line for a few months before being assigned their engineering job. This gave them perspective on how their company makes money by manufacturing, and what that activity entails. (this concept, and my knowledge of Japanese companies may be outdated now...)
Steve Ballmer's USAFacts has a bunch of info on US Govt, including DoD budgets. It's a good start on data analysis of the US economy:
https://usafacts.org/
Ryan McBeth says existence of a "military industrial complex" is false and has not been true since 1993. I like how he notes Procter & Gamble makes more revenue than the top 5 defense contractors combined.
Under $100 - a gently used bike from the local thrift shop. Added a rack and crate and use it for local errands such as grocery shopping, dentist visits, mailing stuff at the post office, all within a 3-mile radius. Saves driving a car and I get some exercise.
Under $21 - a refurbished Thinkpad T520 with SSD, also from a thrift shop. Not life-changing but I've always loved the keyboard and it works fine for web browsing.
Way back in the 80's I synchronized the clocks on 3 IBM PCs (originals w/5151 green monitors) in the computer lab and ran a simple digital clock program on each, showing hours:min:sec across the 3 in glorious PC text graphics.
After awhile I noticed about a dozen students standing around the 3 PCs -- they were waiting for the time to roll from 7:59:59 to 8:00:00, perfectly synchronized like magic! (Remember no networks back then!) I found this pretty funny...
Without the 555 how can we have such fun make contests? The original www.555contest.com by Chris Gammell and Jeri Ellsworth (2011) had a tremendous response. 11 years later Hackaday held one with very creative entries. If you enter a contest you'll be forced out of your comfort zone (programming with solder) and will appreciate MCU's even more when you're done!
If you're lucky you'll get a phone call from (the late) Hans Camenzind as I did in 2011. And maybe you'll invent something goofy, like "Le Dominoux": https://youtu.be/PQOjkuJtBfM?si=Np2MSKgAp4ULwzcl
Unshielded embedded systems generate RF noise that can be received on AM/FM radios. Some devs figured out which processes generated which noises and could determine what the system was doing, or if a loop was taking too long just by listening.
Fun lists but the "1 tile = 1 point" needs more realistic weights - for example "take a video" is equivalent to "make a short film" in points earned, where realistically pushing a button is not the same effort as making a short.
Maybe there should be a logarithmic/exponential/multiplier scale associated with progressing up the list.
Or determine an average time-to-complete metric from user feedback and indicate such on the skill progression.
You can see ancient agave roasting pits in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, if you know where to look.
Also, if you've ever run over an agave with a lawnmower while wearing shorts you'll soon experience a burning sensation on your legs, so props to folks that handle the leaves without issues...
The bridge in the thumbnail is the Coronado bridge, rumored to have a floating hollow-box mid-section so that in the event of a collapse Navy ships can easily push debris and clear a channel. I remember hearing this "fact" on a San Diego harbor cruise long ago. Alas Wikipedia says it's a myth...