Due to a tragic accident, my old Google Pixel 3A is now pushing up the daisies. A new phone was not on my plan for this week, but I had the old one for five or so years, and had bought it used, so needing a replacement isn't a huge huge loss.
So yesterday I got on eBay, as is my usual method, and ordered a Pixel 8A, which will be here in a few days. I always try to get the smallest phone…
Well, I redid the web site again. Ha! This one is done with the flat file CMS Datenstrom Yellow. I have been really enjoying the simplicity of it, just PHP, HTML and Markdown. And have been able to customize it pretty well, even though I am not a programmer. So that's fun.
If you are one of the few kind people following this blog on RSS, sorry for the new post overload!
I have never been a huge social media person, but my usage has dwindled over recent years. For a long time I stopped posting on other more evil socials but still used Mastodon because it seemed more positive than the alternatives.
But I even stopped posting on Mastodon, because I have been reevaluating the way I spend my time and attention. Trying to bring my mental focus back to my real life.
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I admit that I fell prey to the Instagram scam a for a few years. I say a scam, because the idea is out there that Instagram is a good way to promote art or a business, and I don't think it is, not for a small artist anyway. For ten years I did art shows and markets, had an online shop and had social media accounts for my artwork. Social media got me only a handful of sales in a decade. Art shows…
The other evening I watched the film the Social Dilemma on Netflix on the recommendation of a buddy.
The film talks about social media - Facebook and Instagram, but also Google and youtube, and any software with an algorithm that gathers data and tries to serve up the content that is most alluring to the individual user. That means the most emotionally engaging, provocative or inflammatory…
I have been trying to better navigate my relationship with technology. It feels like a silly concern - I'm an adult, I should just be able to make sensible choices. But I am not always sure where the lines are between technologies being intentionally addictive, craving escapism as a way to avoid my problems, and just needing better habits. Probably a combination of the three.
Regardless, I…
I started to write a whole post explaining my move from Linuxrocks.online Mastodon instance to Fosstodon.org, but honestly it's just not fun, and I don't want to give any more attention to the players or fuel the drama. So I'll just give this brief summary:
An inflammatory blowhard who used to be fun to listen to but is now just being trans-phobic and acting like he's under constant persecution,…
I do enjoy a sweet gadget! I tend to always look for alternatives to distractions built into devices with Internet connectivity. I appreciate the single use technology, with a simple interface and no pop ups or obtrusive vibe-hijacking "suggestions" like computers and phones have unless you take bold steps to mitigate it. My gadgets are mostly inexpensive and bought used.
This is…