Low power mode? Right, got it.

Wait, what's low power mode?

We’re in “low power mode” to start the New Year. When I shared this plan last week, I got a few messages from people asking how I came up with this idea, or even complimenting me on the idea of calling it “low power mode.”

I realized that I’ve been writing this newsletter for going on six years (!!!) and I first introduced and explained “low power mode” going on three years ago (!!!).

So in perhaps the most self-referential post I’ve done here in a while, here’s a low power mode post … about low power mode. It’s adapted from the original announcement in 2022.

If you’ve been reading this long enough to recognize or remember it, I love you.

Low power mode

This is one of the times of year when I send the newsletter and get a lot of automated replies that say things like:

• “Thanks for your email. I am currently out of the office with inconsistent access to email ...”

• “Sorry, I forgot to tell you I'll be out of the office! But, I will be checking messages and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you need immediate assistance...”

• “I will be out of the office for Christmas and the holiday season until January 7. Due to past experience, I will delete all unread emails upon my return. Please either email me again when I've returned or else contact [XXXXX] at ...”

Sure enough, my family and I just returned from a fairly epic 10-day holiday trip to see family.

Add in the flu (have I milked that enough yet?), and the fact that it just takes longer to get going again afterward … and sometimes I just need time to reset and plan.

Truly, I went the first three years of this newsletter — this daily newsletter! — without ever taking more than one day off. That was nuts.

Eventually, I overthought the whole thing and figured out that instead of burning multiple ends (of candles and other things) to keep going without pause — but also, instead of just shutting down for weeks a time—I could put the whole thing into “low power mode” (like on your phone, when it has to run on low battery).

I’m pretty sure this was a shower thought. Anyway, here’s what low-power mode entails:

1. You still get a newsletter. I work ahead of time. (Imagine a squirrel collecting acorns, only it’s a guy writing a newsletter.) To be clear, this is a combination of new content, and some classic but updated “best of” stories from the past (including this ironic entry).

2. You sometimes get the 7 other things section. Honestly, it depends on how much else is going on in the world, and how much I’m getting done to gear up for a fantastic 2025.

3. When I can think of a good one, I’ll also include a poll or survey. People seem to have fun with these.

How can you help? I’m glad you asked!

Especially for those of you who have been loyal readers for a long time (but really, everyone), I am always interested to hear “greatest hits” essays that I should revisit.

To be honest, I’ve got several set up—but I probably need 2-3 more. You can email me these ideas, or post in the comments.

What are your 2025 resolutions?

Just for fun, I’m curious to know what everyone’s resolutions are for 2025—if you have any at all? Let’s see if we can get a bit of a survey reply below, and you can share more details in the comments if you feel comfortable. Thanks everyone!

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7 other things worth knowing today

• More than 60 million people are under winter alerts nationwide, with a powerful weather system expected to bring a potent mix of snow, ice and blizzard conditions, accompanied by winds gusting up to 50 mph. The winter storm was expected to create treacherous travel conditions and potential power outages across a vast region stretching from Kansas to the mid-Atlantic. "For some, this could be the heaviest snowfall in over a decade," NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center warned. (CNN)

• Washington law enforcement is on high alert status after the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans and a Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas rattled the nation. In a span of 15 days, D.C. will host three “national special security events” … the electoral count on today, former president Jimmy Carter’s state funeral on Thursday and the inauguration on Jan. 20. (The Washington Post)

• Why Canada should join the EU: Sure, EU rules reserve membership to “European states”. Yet despite a residual attachment to the frontier spirit, Canadians can be thought of as honorary Europeans. Oh well. If "Canadeu" remains but a geopolitical thought experiment, that does not preclude an ever-closer relationship. (The Economist)

• The New Orleans terrorist attacker visited the Louisiana city twice in the weeks before the attack and recorded video of the area using Meta smart glasses, the FBI revealed Sunday. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, killed 14 people during the New Year's Day assault. The FBI also said he had planted improvised explosive devices that could caused more carnage, but that he was killed in a gunfight with police before he could detonate the IEDs. (NBC News)

• Matthew Livelsberger, 37, who took his own life and detonated a Tesla Cybertruck last week in front of the Trump hotel in Las Vegas, wrote beforehand that his goal was to inspire military veterans and militias to use violence if needed to get Democrats out of power. He also wrote to colleagues that he had "knowledge" of "war crimes" in Afghanistan from 2019. I've included a link to his full manifesto; it's so odd that most media reports don't include these details.

  (Las Vegas 8 News Now, Daily Mail, Full Manifesto)

• The Washington Post’s Pulitzer prize-winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes has resigned from her position at the newspaper after its refusal to publish a satirical cartoon depicting the outlet’s owner, Jeff Bezos – along with other media and technology barons – kneeling before Donald Trump as he gears up for his second US presidency. (The Guardian)

• His path to reaching age 106: "I did everything I shouldn't do." Herbert Stern, who turned 106 on Christmas Eve, graduated from West Point in 1941, retired from the army as a colonel in 1965 over opposition to the Vietnam War, and then ran his family's furniture business in 1975. He was happy to finally have time to spend with his family, but was heartbroken years later when his daughter died, followed by his wife in 2015. “Rose and I had a great life together,” he said. (The Washington Post)

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Thanks for reading. See you in the comments!