Woz walked away from billions and didn't look back.

🍎 The Woz would be worth billions today, but has zero regrets

Apple’s other Steve cashed out in the ’80s.

Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple, helped shape the future of tech, and then... peaced out. No yachts, no VC fund, no Twitter rants. Just vibes. He also apparently lurks in the Slashdot forums. When one member there, speaking of Woz, said, “Smart man. Great engineer. Bad decision. Happens to all of us,” Woz did his best Jules impression: “Well, allow me to retort!”

Woz shared his version of events and got into his personal philosophy. "I am the happiest person ever. Life to me was never about accomplishment, but about happiness, which is smiles minus frowns.”

In this story by Erik Barnes, Woz dives deeper into why wealth was never the goal, and how he still finds joy in simplicity, soldering, and a good forum thread.

Still think Woz whiffed it? What about Ronald Wayne? The third Apple founder sold his 10% stake for just $800 in 1976 and would be worth hundreds of billions today. Ouch!

🪻 Life in an HOA can be a pain sometimes, but we’ve got tips for making it work

Know your rights and keep your records.

HOAs have a reputation for being the killjoys of cul-de-sacs. No, you can’t paint your door that color, no, you can’t put up that privacy hedge, and no, you can’t have an eco-conscious insect sanctuary. When that last one happened to one Reddit user, they channeled their best King Théoden: “You have no power here!*”

Since they have the potential to have so much power over your home, Mark Wales came up with a list of seven tips and things to know that will make your life in an HOA neighborhood much, much better, including what’s worth going to war over, and what isn’t.

* - I know it’s actually Saruman speaking through Théoden, no need to summon the Rohirrim.

And what did we learn?

Yesterday, we shared the centuries-old tradition of Scottish honesty boxes. Then we asked how such a thing would work in your neck of the woods.

• LOL it would be empty by noon (45.9%)

• Maaaaybe if we installed a security camera (16.2%)

• People would pay, but they wouldn't pay much (21.6%)

• We already do it and it restores my faith in humanity daily (16.2%)

One reader, TinaKnaub shared that “Many of our small family farms in Pennsylvania do the honor system, especially our Amish neighbors.”

☀️ One man’s daunting expanse is another man’s green-power future

One billionaire gazes out at the Gobi Desert and sees opportunity amid the dunes.

If you asked me what I think about the desert, I’d give you my best Anakin: I don’t like sand. But I’m not Lei Zhang, a Chinese billionaire philanthropist who has set his eyes on the Gobi Desert as a source of solar and wind energy just waiting to be tapped.

In this story by Erik Barnes, Zhang argues that the Gobi’s “uselessness” is exactly what makes it perfect: no homes to displace, just endless wind and sun to harvest. His vision imagines deserts becoming the world’s next great power plants, fueling everything from batteries to green hydrogen without the baggage of fossil fuels.

It’s a bold pitch: turn emptiness into abundance, barrenness into prosperity. Whether investors and policymakers buy in could determine if the Gobi really does become the new frontier of clean energy.

I have accidentally typed “dessert” four times while writing this. I think I need a snack.

💬 From the group text…

It’s Friday and the dryer is full…